Who can I request information from?

WhatDoTheyKnow covers requests to 46,512 authorities, including:

Browse all authorities →

Looking for an EU Authority?

You can request documents directly from EU Institutions at our sister site AskTheEU.org . Find out more .

AskTheEU.org

What information has been released?

WhatDoTheyKnow users have made 1,033,678 requests, including:

Browse all requests →

What is Freedom of Information?

Make a request for information to a UK public authority.
By law, they have to respond.

The Freedom of Information Act, also known as FOI gives you the right to request recorded information from public authorities.

As well as documents and emails, it also covers things like spreadsheets, presentations, maps, videos and photographs.

By law requests have to be answered promptly and within 20 working days.

In most cases information should be released, but various exemptions allow authorities to withhold information.

Learn more about the Freedom of Information act →

How do I use Freedom of Information?

From coach drop off points to national borders; modern slavery to council sell-offs, Freedom of Information is a tool that everyone can use. Individual or community group; journalist or campaigner. National or local; every day or now and then. Here are just a few of the ways that it can help…

🔍 Find the evidence: Survey responses, research reports and board papers can help you to uncover the truth behind decisions and public statements.

⚖️ Compare and contrast: Compare the situation in your local area with what’s happening in other parts of the country and highlight disparities or similarities.

💰 Follow the money: Contracts, invoices and budget information let you see where public money goes, ensuring greater accountability for how funds are allocated and spent.

🧩 Fill in the gaps: You can ask a group of authorities to build or extract a dataset that didn't exist. This can fill knowledge gaps and improve public understanding of specific issues.

🤔 Understand why: Meeting minutes, policy papers and internal correspondence can help you to understand why important decisions were taken, and who is accountable for those decisions.

☀️ Promote openness: Asking for datasets can help to show that there is public demand to see it, which might persuade the authority to publish it themselves without needing to be asked.

Read our case studies for some great examples of how others have put these ideas to use.

How does WhatDoTheyKnow help?

🔀 Find the right authority: A database of 46,000+ public bodies, kept up to date by a team of staff and volunteers.

🗂️ Public archive: A permanent, searchable, public record of over one million information requests and responses.

✍️ Write your request: Inline guidance and a collection of help pages to help write your request.

🤖 Automate bureaucracy: Built in assistance and reminders to manage your request from submission to completion.

🏟️ Correspond in public: Requests and responses are automatically published online with proof of delivery to hold authorities accountable to respond.

🛑 Refusal advice: Encouragement, support, guidance and snippets to help challenge refusals at internal review, regulator appeal and tribunal(soon).

Learn more about WhatDoTheyKnow. Want to know something? Start your own request →

Latest news and campaigns

Telling stories with FOI data

In the second seminar of our Using Freedom of Information for Campaigning and Advocacy series, we learned how to use information from FOI requests to create stories and further your...

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Getting the most from FOI

We are currently running a series of free, online seminars on Using Freedom of Information for Campaigning and Advocacy.  The aim is to upskill social change organisations, particularly those working...

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This is not just any Impact Report…

…this is mySociety’s 20th anniversary Impact Report! This has been a very special year – mySociety’s 20th anniversary. So we haven’t just put together our usual review of the past twelve months:...

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Freedom of Information to support social change

Rethinking our approach to marginalised communities Read our new report ‘Using Access to Information to support social change’ Freedom of information is for everyone: that’s something we believe, and something...

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Our videos about Freedom of Information

Using Freedom of Information Data for Campaigns and Visualisations

Using Freedom of Information Data for Campaigns and Visualisations

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A change in the law for school starters in Scotland

A change in the law for school starters in Scotland

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The FOI Clearing House: an openDemocracy investigation into FOI at the heart of government

The FOI Clearing House: an openDemocracy investigation into FOI at the heart of government

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Make a donation to support our research or watch more

Our Freedom of Information Research

Cover for: Network Rail: how accounting definitions of control can expand FOI/EIR coverage 

Network Rail: how accounting definitions of control can expand FOI/EIR coverage 

Appealing to the Court of Accountants.

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Cover for: FOI Reform in Scotland

FOI Reform in Scotland

Response to consultation on Private Members Bill

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Cover for: How many people use Freedom of Information? The numbers blog post

How many people use Freedom of Information? The numbers blog post

More details on our FOI polling, and how it compares with other polling and estimates of FOI use.

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Cover for: Prioritising FOI complaints

Prioritising FOI complaints

Draft response to ICO consultation on how to prioritise FOI complaints

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Cover for: Using Access to Information to support social change

Using Access to Information to support social change

A look at how organisations which support marginalised communities use and request information from public bodies, what the information unlocks and what mySociety can do to better support this use of access to information.

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Cover for: What are environmental information requests and how do they differ in Scotland?

What are environmental information requests and how do they differ in Scotland?

Understanding what makes Environmental Information special in Freedom of Information and the (minor) differences in how this is interpreted in Scotland.

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Donate now to support our research or browse more