MySociety

MySociety. It is a UK-based global nonprofit organization that builds digital tools and services to empower citizens, strengthen democracy, and improve the relationship between people and government. Founded in 2003, the organization is a pioneer in the international civic technology movement, creating websites that enable people to exercise their rights, participate in public life, and hold power to account. MySociety operates both within the United Kingdom and internationally, often through partnerships with civil society groups and non-governmental organizations worldwide.

History

MySociety was founded in September 2003 by Tom Steinberg and James Crabtree, emerging from the early internet activism of the e-democracy group. Its creation was significantly influenced by the work of the Foundation for Information Policy Research and early support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The organization's first major project, launched in 2004, was WriteToThem, a service simplifying contact with Members of Parliament and other elected representatives in the United Kingdom. This was quickly followed in 2005 by the groundbreaking Freedom of Information request site WhatDoTheyKnow, which became a model for transparency platforms globally. Early funding and incubation were provided by the UK Citizens Online Democracy charity. The success of these initial tools established MySociety as a leading force in the nascent open government and transparency movements, influencing policy discussions within institutions like the World Bank and the United Nations.

Projects and initiatives

MySociety's portfolio includes a wide array of civic technology services, many of which have been adopted or replicated internationally. Core UK-facing projects include TheyWorkForYou, which scrapes and analyses proceedings from the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and FixMyStreet, a platform for reporting local street faults to councils like Westminster City Council. Internationally, the organization's Civic Tech Codebase is shared openly, enabling groups worldwide to deploy local versions of its tools; for instance, FixMyStreet has been adapted for use in countries from Sweden to Malaysia. Other significant initiatives include Alaveteli, a software platform for Freedom of Information request sites, and EveryPolitician, an open database of parliamentary information. MySociety also conducts research through its Research team, often in collaboration with academics from institutions like the University of Oxford.

Technology and platforms

The organization is built on principles of open source software and open data. Its core platforms are developed primarily in the Perl and Python (programming language) programming languages, with code hosted publicly on GitHub. The Alaveteli platform, written in Ruby on Rails, is a key piece of infrastructure for the global Right to Know movement. MySociety places a strong emphasis on robust APIs and data standards, ensuring its tools can interoperate with other democratic systems and datasets, such as those from OpenStreetMap or official Hansard transcripts. This technical architecture allows for scalability and adaptation across different legal and governmental contexts, from Kenya to Chile.

Impact and recognition

MySociety's work has had a substantial impact on civic engagement and government transparency. Platforms like WhatDoTheyKnow have facilitated the release of millions of pages of previously undisclosed public documents, influencing journalism and policy debates. The organization's tools are frequently cited in studies by the OECD and the Open Government Partnership as exemplars of digital democracy. MySociety and its founders have received numerous awards, including a Mark of Excellence Award from the New Statesman and recognition from Nominet Trust. Its research on civic technology efficacy is presented at forums like the International Conference for E-Democracy and Open Government.

Governance and funding

MySociety operates as a registered UK charity. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees which has included notable figures from the technology and public policy sectors. Funding is derived from a mix of sources including grants from foundations like the Open Society Foundations and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, contracts for technical services with entities such as the National Democratic Institute, and public donations. A portion of its income is generated through commercial services, such as providing support and hosting for international partners using its open-source platforms. This diversified funding model supports both its ongoing UK service provision and its global capacity-building work.