WhatDoTheyKnow.com - improvements to the MySociety.org FOIA request submission and publication website
MySociety.org have made some improvements to their new, still under development, Freedom of Information ACt request website, which we commented on recently - foi.mysociety.org FOIA request submission and publication website seems to be operational
As expected, the suggestion we made about a Preview facility, so that people could check the formatting and spelling of their FOIA request before firing it off, was taken to heart, and, within only a few days, was implemented, together with an online spelling checker.
The website now has its own Domain Name, to add to the stable of essential MySociety.org tools like TheyWorkForYou,com, or PledgeBank.com. or FixMyStreet.com etc.
You can now access foi.mysociety.org via WhatDoTheyKnow.com
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 body 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 body. 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 body bother to reply?
Under Freedom of Information law, they have to respond.