The WhatDoTheyKnow homepage |
|
| URL | WhatDoTheyKnow.com |
|---|---|
| Slogan | Make and explore Freedom of Information requests |
| Commercial? | No |
| Type of site | Engine for making Freedom of Information requests |
| Registration | Optional |
| Owner | MySociety |
| Created by | User-generated/Public Authority generated |
| Launched | 2008 |
| Alexa rank | 135,391 [1] |
| Current status | Active |
WhatDoTheyKnow.com is a website run by the registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy (under the MySociety brand) which allows anyone to make a UK Freedom of Information request in public.[2][3][4] The site acts as a permanent public archive of FOI requests made through it.[5]
Around 15% of requests to UK Central Government are made through WhatDoTheyKnow.com.[6] Over 5,000 public bodies have been added to the site, mainly by volunteers. More than 80,000 requests have been made using the site.[7]
The site has been described by the Guardian as "an idiot's guide to making an freedom of information request." [8] The Information Commissioner's Office has stated that it believes "the most up-to-date informal list of all public authorities is held on the website".[9] Information released through the site has given rise to serious and less serious news stories.[10][11][12] The site is used by a number of MPs.[13]
The site's parent project Alavateli is "a project to create a free, standard, internationalised platform for making Freedom of Information (FOI) requests".[14][15]
WhatDoTheyKnow started life as the winning idea for mySociety competition in 2006 for ideas for public interest websites to build.[16] Both Phil Rodgers and Francis Irving entered idea.[17] Francis Irvings later became the main developer of the site.[18] which was was launched in 2008.[19]
The site was nominated for a number of awards: