What Is Civic Tech?
Civic technology — or "civic tech" — refers to tools that help citizens interact with government, participate in democratic processes, and hold public institutions accountable. The best civic tech tools lower barriers to participation, making it easier for anyone to exercise their democratic rights regardless of technical expertise or political connections.
Freedom of Information Tools
FOI (Freedom of Information) requests are one of the most powerful tools citizens have for government accountability. These platforms simplify the process of filing and tracking requests.
FOI Filing Platforms
| Tool | Coverage | Cost | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| MuckRock | United States | Free (basic) / $40/mo (pro) | File, track, and share FOI requests. Auto-follow-up on overdue requests. Public archive of completed requests. |
| WhatDoTheyKnow | United Kingdom | Free | File FOI requests to any UK public body. All requests and responses published publicly. Run by mySociety. |
| Alaveteli | 30+ countries | Free (open source) | Platform behind WhatDoTheyKnow. Deployed in countries from Brazil to Ukraine. Customizable for any FOI regime. |
| Ask the EU | European Union | Free | File access-to-documents requests to any EU institution. Built on Alaveteli platform. |
| FOIA.gov | US Federal | Free | Official US government FOIA portal. File requests to any federal agency. Track request status. |
FOI Filing Tips
Be specific in your request — vague requests are easier to deny or delay. Ask for specific documents, date ranges, and data formats. If your request is denied, always appeal — many initial denials are overturned on appeal. Request fee waivers if the information is in the public interest. And always set a deadline for response (most FOI laws have statutory timelines).
Legislation Trackers
Know what your representatives are voting on and how they vote.
Bill Tracking Platforms
| Tool | Coverage | Cost | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| GovTrack | US Congress | Free | Track bills, votes, and members. Email alerts for bill progress. Voting record analysis. Open data API. |
| Congress.gov | US Congress | Free | Official source. Full bill text, committee reports, and Congressional Record. Comprehensive but less user-friendly. |
| TheyWorkForYou | UK Parliament | Free | Track MPs' voting records, speeches, and expenses. Email alerts. By mySociety. |
| OpenStates | US State Legislatures | Free | Track bills and legislators across all 50 US states. API access. Managed by Civic Eagle. |
| LegiScan | US (Federal + State) | Free (basic) | Comprehensive bill tracking with legislative scoring and AI-powered summaries. |
| Parltrack | European Parliament | Free | Track MEPs, dossiers, and voting records. Open source. |
Government Budget Tools
Understanding where public money goes is fundamental to accountability. These tools make complex budget data accessible.
- USASpending.gov: The official source for US federal spending data. Search contracts, grants, loans, and direct payments. Every dollar the federal government spends is tracked here.
- OpenSpending: International platform by Open Knowledge Foundation. Visualize and analyze government budget data from countries worldwide. Upload and explore datasets.
- BOOST (World Bank): Open budget portal providing detailed public expenditure data for 80+ developing countries. Essential for development researchers.
- Where Does My Money Go? (UK): Shows how your tax contributions are allocated across government departments. Personalized based on your income level.
- Follow the Money (Nigeria): Tracks government capital project spending at federal and state levels. Citizens can report on project implementation in their communities.
Election & Voting Tools
- Vote Smart / Ballotpedia (US): Non-partisan voter information including candidate positions, voting records, campaign finance, and ballot measures. Essential for informed voting.
- OpenSecrets: Campaign finance data for US elections. Who's funding candidates, how much PACs spend, and lobbying expenditure data. Follow the money in politics.
- Democracy Club (UK): Open data on UK elections — candidates, polling stations, and election results. Powers many voter information services.
- Electoral Integrity Project: Academic initiative assessing the quality of elections worldwide. Data on 500+ elections across 170 countries.
Watchdog & Accountability Platforms
- OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project): Global network of investigative journalists. Their Aleph platform provides a searchable database of documents, company registries, and leaked datasets for investigating corruption.
- Global Witness: Investigates the links between natural resources, corruption, and conflict. Their datasets on beneficial ownership, mining contracts, and land deals are invaluable.
- PPLAAF (Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa): Legal and media support for African whistleblowers. Secure channels for submitting evidence of corruption.
- FixMyStreet (mySociety): Report local infrastructure problems (potholes, broken streetlights, graffiti) to your local council. Available in 40+ countries.
mySociety: The Civic Tech Pioneer
Many of the best civic tools come from mySociety, a UK-based non-profit that has built WhatDoTheyKnow, TheyWorkForYou, FixMyStreet, WriteToThem, and the Alaveteli platform used in 30+ countries. Their tools are open source and have been adapted for dozens of different democratic contexts. If you're looking to bring civic tech to your country, mySociety's code and documentation are the best starting point.
Data Analysis & Visualization
Tools for turning raw government data into actionable insights:
- Datawrapper: Create charts, maps, and tables from data without coding. Free tier is generous. Used by major newsrooms worldwide.
- Flourish: Interactive data visualization platform. Templates for race charts, network diagrams, maps, and more. Free for public projects.
- RAWGraphs: Open-source tool for creating complex visualizations from tabular data. Good for unusual chart types not available in standard tools.
- QGIS: Free, open-source geographic information system. Essential for mapping government spatial data — electoral districts, infrastructure, land use, environmental data.
- Tabula: Extract tables from PDF documents. A lifesaver when governments publish data as PDFs instead of machine-readable formats.
- OpenRefine: Clean, transform, and reconcile messy datasets. Essential for working with inconsistent government data.
Secure Communication
For whistleblowers, journalists, and activists working on sensitive government accountability issues:
- SecureDrop: Open-source whistleblower submission system used by major newsrooms (Washington Post, Guardian, New York Times). Allows anonymous, encrypted document submission.
- Signal: End-to-end encrypted messaging. Widely used by journalists, activists, and sources for secure communication.
- Tor Browser: Anonymized web browsing. Essential for accessing censored information or submitting whistleblower reports in restrictive environments.
- Tails OS: Privacy-focused operating system that runs from a USB drive and leaves no trace. Used by journalists working on sensitive investigations.
Security First
If you're working on sensitive government accountability issues — especially in countries with weak press freedom or rule of law — take digital security seriously. Use encrypted communication, strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and be aware of your threat model. The Committee to Protect Journalists and Electronic Frontier Foundation offer free digital security guides tailored to journalists and activists.
Building Civic Tech
If you're a developer interested in building civic technology:
- Code for America / Code for All: Global network of civic tech organizations. Join a local brigade to contribute to open-source civic projects.
- Civic Tech Field Guide: Comprehensive directory of civic tech projects, organizations, and events worldwide.
- mySociety GitHub: All mySociety tools are open source. Fork, adapt, and deploy for your community.
- Open Government Partnership: International initiative with 77 member countries committed to open government. Their action plans often include civic tech components.