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Contact Us

If your question isn't answered here, or you just wanted to let us know something about the site, contact us.

Introduction to WhatDoTheyKnow

What is WhatDoTheyKnow for?
To help you find out inside information about what the UK government is doing.
How does the site work?
You choose the public authority that you would like information from, then write a brief note describing what you want to know. We then send your request to the public authority. Any response they make is automatically published on the website for you and anyone else to find and read.
Why would I bother to do this?
You pay taxes, and then government does things with the money. All sorts of things that affect your life, from healthcare through to national defence. Some it does badly, some it does well. The more we find out about how government works, the better able we are to make suggestions to improve the things that are done badly, and to celebrate the things that are done well.
Why would the public authority bother to reply?
Under Freedom of Information (FOI) law, they have to respond.
Who makes it?
WhatDoTheyKnow is made by mySociety, and was initially funded by the JRSST Charitable Trust. mySociety is a project of the registered charity UK Citizens Online Democracy. If you like what we're doing, then you can make a donation.

Making requests

You're missing the public authority that I want to request from!
Please contact us with the name of the public authority and, if you can find it, their contact email address for Freedom of Information requests. If you'd like to help add a whole category of public authority to the site, for example all primary care trusts or all schools, then please edit this shared spreadsheet (Google account required).
How quickly will I get a response?
By law public authorities must respond within 20 days, excluding weekends and any UK bank holidays. The date that the response is due by is shown on the page for your request. You will be emailed if this date goes by without a response, so you can send the public authority another note to hurry them up. Note: If you had to clarify your request, the clock starts from that date, instead of the date they received your initial request.
What if I'm not satisfied with the response?
If you didn't get the information you asked for, or you didn't get it in time, then read our page 'Unhappy about the response you got?'.
Can you tell me more of the nitty gritty about the process of making requests?
Have a look at the access to official information pages on the Information Commisioner's website.
Can I request information about myself?
Not using this site. Requests made using WhatDoTheyKnow are public, made under the Freedom of Information Act, and cannot help you find information about a private individual. If you would like to know what information a public authority holds about yourself, you should make a "Subject Access Request" in private using Data Protection law. The leaflet Subject Access - A guide for data subjects (on the Information Commisioner's website) explains how to do this.
I'd like to keep my request secret! (At least until I publish my story)
WhatDoTheyKnow is currently only designed for public requests. All responses that we receive are automatically published on the website for anyone to read. You should contact the public authority directly if you would like to make a request in private. If you're interested in buying a system which helps you manage FOI requests in secret, then contact us.
Why can I only request information about the environment from some authorities?
Some public authorities, such as South East Water, don't come under the Freedom of Information Act, but do come under another law called the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). It's a very similar law, so you make a request to them using WhatDoTheyKnow in just the same way as an FOI request. The only difference is that on the page where you write you request, it reminds you that you can only request "environmental information" and tells you what that means. It is quite broad.
So can I request information using EIR from other authorities?
Yes, just make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request as normal. The authority has a duty to work out if the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) is the more appropriate legislation to reply under.

Privacy questions

Who gets to see my email address?
We will not disclose your email address to anyone, including the public authority you are sending a request to, unless we are obliged to by law, or you ask us to. If you send a message to another user on the site, then it will reveal your email address to them. You will be told that this is going to happen.
Will you send nasty, brutish spam to my email address?
Nope. After you sign up to WhatDoTheyKnow we will only send you emails relating to a request you made, an email alert that you have signed up for, or for other reasons that you specifically authorise. We will never give or sell your email addresses to anyone else, unless we are obliged to by law, or you ask us to.
Why will my name appear publically on the site?
It means that someone researching the same area can get in touch with you, and maybe give you more information or ideas relating to your request. Also, we're going to publish the response with the name of the civil servant who wrote it, so it seems only fair that your name should be public too! Therefore, we encourage you to use your real name, but you may use a pseudonym if you would like to be anonymous.
So I can make an FOI request using a pseudonym?
Yes, you can. It is good practice for the public authority to reply to such a request, except in special circumstances such as if they suspect you of making vexatious requests. See Freedom of Information Good Practice Guidance No 6 for details. You should refer to this if a public authority attempts to refuse a request because you used a pseudonym. Saying that, you can avoid the problem by simply making your pseudonym look like a real person's name, as there is no general obligation to prove your identity.
They've asked for my postal address!
If a public authority asks you for your full address, reply to them saying that section 8.1.b of the FOI Act asks for an "address for correspondence", and that the email address you are using is sufficient. The Department for Constitutional Affairs has guidance on this – "Return address: There is no obligation to comply with a request for information if it does not give a return address. If a request is received by email and, although no postal address is given, the email address of the sender is included, then this should be treated as the return address."
Why does the list of things that I'm tracking appear publically on the site?
This helps you find others who are researching the same area of government, so you can form groups to investigate or campaign together. It also helps us show requests which are related to other requests. If you've ever used a "social bookmarking" website such as Delicious, Digg or reddit, think of it like that.

FOI officer questions

Why are you publishing responses to FOI requests?
Freedom of Information responses contain public information, which anybody could easily request again from the public authority. Therefore, there is no reason they shouldn't be published on the Internet. There are lots of benefits - everything from preventing duplicate requests, to getting the public more involved and interested in the work of government.
What about the names of civil servants and the text of emails?
Officers or servants responding to requests are doing so on behalf of the public as part of their job, and we publish their response on that basis. Usually the names and phone numbers of FOI officers are already available on authority websites. We also encourage our users to give their real name too, so it is fair both ways.
Do you publish email addresses or mobile phone numbers?
We automatically remove email addresses and labelled mobile phone numbers that are in the email part of responses from public authorities. Please contact us if we've missed one. We don't currently remove these from attachments, such as Word documents.
Can you take down private information about me?
If you see any information on the site which you'd like us to remove or hide, then please let us know. We'll then remove it, provided it is genuinely private information.
No, you will simply be replying to an FOI request by email (the "expressed preference" of the requester, under section 11(1) of the Freedom of Information Act). That we are later republishing your response is a separate matter of copyright law, and not something which FOIA lists as a reason for rejecting a request.

Credit where credit is due

Which people made WhatDoTheyKnow?
Oh, nearly everyone (and maybe you too)! You're all stars.