FOI Fest skills session: WhatdoTheyKnow and Alaveteli

FOI Fest skills session: WhatdoTheyKnow and Alaveteli

mySociety’s own Julia Cushion and Gareth Rees talk us through the basic principles of our FOI website WhatDoTheyKnow [https://www.whatdotheyknow.com], and the open codebase that allows others to run similar websites around the world, Alaveteli [https://alaveteli.org] – all in ten minutes. If you would prefer to watch this session as a video, you can do so here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRANce3liDU]. Sign up for our newsletter [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRANce3liDU] or drop us a line [https://www.mysociety.org/contact/]. Please fill in our short survey [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ayf5LOT8Ks7yxjCW5aNdN6pIsy2K0py_ACszVI19xpk/edit] to help us understand more about why and how you listen!   TRANSCRIPT 0:00 [Gavin Freeguard:] Welcome to FOI Fest 2026! 0:04 [Julia Cushion:] We are from mySociety, makers of WhatDoTheyKnow, but actually wanted to start us today thinking about the code that is behind WhatDoTheyKnow, which we call Alaveteli, and reminding everybody that that is an open source codebase, which means that anybody around the world can run their own Freedom of Information website, and lots of people do. (more…) [https://www.mysociety.org/podcast/foi-fest-skills-session-whatdotheyknow-and-alaveteli/#more-57530]

FOI Fest skills session: Martin Rosenbaum

In this ten minute skills session from FOI Fest [https://www.mysociety.org/transparency/foi-network/foi-fest-2026/], longtime journalist and author of Freedom of Information: A Practical Guidebook Martin Rosenbaum shares his best tips based on usage of the Act that goes back to its implementation. Martin mentions some of his slides during this talk, and if you’d rather watch than listen, you can do so on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jjHcWxTr04]. Please fill in our short survey [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ayf5LOT8Ks7yxjCW5aNdN6pIsy2K0py_ACszVI19xpk/edit] to help us understand more about why and how you listen! TRANSCRIPT 0:00 [Gavin Freeguard] Welcome to FOI Fest 2026! 0:04 [Martin Rosenbaum] Thanks very much. We’ve had a fair amount of advice already about to make effective use of FOI. And what I thought I would do with my two minutes here, as someone who, since the Act came into force in 2005 has made quite a lot of FOI requests, is just give some examples of things that I learnt along the way from particular cases that I was involved in, some which go back more or less, in fact, to 2005 some which are lessons which I learnt quite early on, like perhaps this one. (more…) [https://www.mysociety.org/podcast/foi-fest-skills-session-martin-rosenbaum/#more-57422]

FOI Fest skills session: Maurice Frankel on the cost limit

In this ten-minute session from FOI Fest, Chief Executive of the Campaign for Freedom of Information Maurice Frankel explains how to avoid having your requests refused because of the cost limit that is baked into the FOI Act, and what some of the problems with that limit are. Please fill in our short survey [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ayf5LOT8Ks7yxjCW5aNdN6pIsy2K0py_ACszVI19xpk/edit] to help us understand more about why and how you listen! TRANSCRIPT 0:00  [Gavin Freeguard] Welcome to FOI Fest 2026! 0:04  [Maurice Frankel] My first thing to say is not specifically on my topic, but it’s this: if you don’t know anything about the subject, don’t make an FOI request.  0:14  FOI is not the place to start learning about something that you don’t know anything about. If an idea pops into your head, do some research about it. (more…) [https://www.mysociety.org/podcast/foi-fest-skills-session-maurice-frankel-on-the-cost-limit/#more-57419]

What next for FOI?

In this panel discussion from FOI Fest [https://www.mysociety.org/transparency/foi-network/foi-fest-2026/], participants discussed the challenges and opportunities for Freedom of Information, including how AI is increasingly a problem – but could also be a solution – for authorities. You’ll hear from: * Louise Crow, Chief Executive, mySociety * Ben Worthy, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Birkbeck College * Carole Ewart, Director, Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland * David Hamilton, Scottish Information Commissioner Please fill in our short survey [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ayf5LOT8Ks7yxjCW5aNdN6pIsy2K0py_ACszVI19xpk/edit] to help us understand more about why and how you listen! TRANSCRIPT 0:00  [Gavin Freeguard] Welcome to FOI Fest 2026! 0:06  [Alex Parsons] So, to split this into two sets of questions. One is around the FOI reform in Scotland, and the other is this ongoing conversation of the day around technology and AI. (more…) [https://www.mysociety.org/podcast/what-next-for-foi/#more-57414]

FOI Fest – Keynote 2: David Hamilton (Scottish Information Commissioner)

In the second keynote from FOI Fest [https://www.mysociety.org/transparency/foi-network/foi-fest-2026/], David Hamilton, the Scottish Information Commissioner, explained current challenges, including the arrival of the AI-based request, increased levels of anger on both sides, and what it means when FOI is front page news every three days. He also goes through the forthcoming changes that the Reform Bill is set to bring to Freedom of Information in Scotland. David refers to his slides a few times during this recording. If you would prefer to watch this presentation as a video, head over to YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2umv7TN3jzY]. Please fill in our short survey [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Ayf5LOT8Ks7yxjCW5aNdN6pIsy2K0py_ACszVI19xpk/edit] to help us understand more about our listeners! TRANSCRIPT 0:00  [Gavin Freeguard:] Welcome to FOI Fest, 2026 0:04  [David Hamilton] I’m David Hamilton. I’m the Scottish Information Commissioner.  0:07  I don’t know. I always end up speaking at conferences on FOI in England after Scotland thump England at rugby. So having alienated most of the audience, let me carry on.  (more…) [https://www.mysociety.org/podcast/foi-fest-keynote-2-david-hamilton-scottish-information-commissioner/#more-57396]