---
title: mySociety
type: civic tech
status: active
country: GB
website: https://www.mysociety.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/mysociety.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-30
  email: hello@mysociety.org
  source: https://www.mysociety.org/contact
summary: A UK civic technology charity that builds digital tools enabling citizens
  to hold governments accountable — including TheyWorkForYou, FixMyStreet, and WhatDoTheyKnow,
  deployed in over 40 countries.
concepts:
- e-government
- radical-transparency
- democracy
- accountability-sink
location:
  latitude: 51.5074
  longitude: -0.1278
  name: London, UK
  precision: city
rss_feed: https://www.mysociety.org/feed
events:
- date: '2003-01-01'
  title: Founded by Tom Steinberg as a UK civic-tech charity, launching TheyWorkForYou
    and WriteToThem
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySociety
  quote: mySociety was founded by Tom Steinberg in September 2003
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2004-06-01'
  title: Launched TheyWorkForYou — making parliamentary activity searchable and accessible
    to UK citizens
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySociety
  quote: TheyWorkForYou is a parliamentary monitoring website which aims to make it
    easier
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
- date: '2005-02-01'
  title: Launched WriteToThem — enabling citizens to contact their elected representatives
    online
  url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySociety
  quote: WriteToThem is a website which allows UK citizens to contact their elected
    representatives
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
activity:
  rss:
    date: 2026-08-17
    note: 'Latest post: The ICO is changing: it’s an ideal time to demand better'
    url: https://www.mysociety.org/2026/08/17/the-ico-is-changing-its-an-ideal-time-to-demand-better/
    checked: 2026-08-17
last_checked: '2026-05-29'
---

mySociety is a UK registered charity and social enterprise, founded in 2003, that builds digital tools to make it easier for citizens to participate in democracy, hold governments accountable, and access public services. It operates on the principle that well-designed technology can reduce the friction between citizens and the state.

Its flagship platforms have become internationally deployed civic infrastructure:

- **TheyWorkForYou** — makes UK parliamentary proceedings searchable and accessible; tracks how MPs vote, what they say, and how often they attend
- **FixMyStreet** — a platform for reporting local infrastructure problems (potholes, broken streetlights) to the relevant council; licensed and deployed in 40+ countries
- **WhatDoTheyKnow** — simplifies Freedom of Information requests in the UK, with open-source versions (Alaveteli) running in over 25 jurisdictions globally
- **Represent Boundaries** — an API for looking up elected representatives by location

mySociety also conducts research on democratic participation, civic technology effectiveness, and government digital transformation. Its SayIt platform was used to publish the Leveson Inquiry transcripts and others.

The open-source Alaveteli software (powering WhatDoTheyKnow variants globally) is one of the most widely deployed civic transparency tools in the world.

## Key people

- **[Tom Steinberg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Steinberg)** — founder (2003). Previously worked in No. 10 Downing Street and helped shape the digital government agenda in the UK before founding mySociety as a charity focused on civic technology. Under his direction it grew from a single project into the international platform it is today.[^mysociety]

## Links

- Website: [mysociety.org](https://www.mysociety.org)
- TheyWorkForYou: [theyworkforyou.com](https://www.theyworkforyou.com)
- FixMyStreet: [fixmystreet.com](https://www.fixmystreet.com)
- WhatDoTheyKnow: [whatdotheyknow.com](https://www.whatdotheyknow.com)
- Alaveteli: [alaveteli.org](https://alaveteli.org)

## See also

- [E-Government](../concepts/e-government.md)
- [Radical Transparency](../concepts/radical-transparency.md)
- [Accountability Sink](../concepts/accountability-sink.md)
- [DemocracyLab](democracylab.md)
- [Open Australia Foundation](open-australia-foundation.md)
- [Liquid Democracy e.V.](liquid-democracy-ev.md)

[^mysociety]: "mySociety is a trusted, collaborative and evidence-driven organisation with a long history of leading in civic tech." [About](https://www.mysociety.org/about/), mySociety.