Projects See all
Street Level Surveillance: Biometrics FOIA Campaign
Street-Level Surveillance: ALPR Campaign
Latest Articles See all

The Foilies 2023: Recognizing the worst in government transparency
It seems like these days, everyone is finding classified documents in places they shouldn’t be: their homes, their offices, their storage lockers, their garages, their guitar cases, between the cracks of their couches, under some withered celery in the vegetable drawer … OK, we’re exaggerating—but it is getting ridiculous. Read on for some of the worst of the worst in 2022 transparency stories.

The Foilies 2021: Recognizing the Year’s Worst in Government Transparency
Since 2015, The Foilies have served as an annual opportunity to name-and-shame the uncoolest government agencies and officials who have stood in the way of public access. We collect the most outrageous and ridiculous stories from around the country from journalists, activists, academics, and everyday folk who have filed public records and experienced retaliation, over-redactions, exorbitant fees, and other transparency malpractice.
Latest Requests See all
Title | Status | Agency | Jurisdiction |
---|---|---|---|
Automated License Plate Reader Licensing | Awaiting Acknowledgement | Office of the Sheriff - Contra Costa County | Contra Costa County, CA |
Automated License Plate Readers | Completed | Office of the Sheriff - Contra Costa County | Contra Costa County, CA |
Plataforma Centinela - State of Chihuahua | No Responsive Documents | Office of Attorney General | Texas |
Plataforma Centinela - State of Chihuahua | Withdrawn | El Paso Police Department | El Paso, TX |
Plataforma Centinela - State of Chihuahua | No Responsive Documents | El Paso County Sheriff | El Paso County, TX |