You can now make FOI requests using a a mobile app, that monitors the request and see your response. 

OK, well sort of. You have to be in the USA and want to make a FOIA (federal level request) to the Department of Homeland security. Admittedly, it is a little niche.

The app, which as far as I know is the first in the world – please correct me if I am wrong – allows the user to send requests, check the status of the request and also look at other requests in the FOIA library.

The webpage describing the app says:

“By conveying the online request process to mobile devices, requesters can submit requests and check the status of existing requests anyplace, anytime. The mobile capabilities of the eFOIA app will greatly enhance the user experience, and provide convenience for the requester community.”

However, if you’re in a place where you can access the app, it collects a lot of your data, making it easier to monitor you. This includes your location, even though it says it won’t use it.

Anyway, it’s an interesting project. Here are some screenshots:

IMG_2797 IMG_2798 IMG_2799

I am a journalist and author. I am a journalist at the UK edition of WIRED magazine. In 2015, my first book Freedom of Information: A Practical Guide for UK Journalists, was published. My second book Reed Hastings: Building Netflix, was published in March 2020. I created FOI Directory in 2012 and have maintained it in my spare time ever since.