Imagine living in a world where your voice feels too small to be heard, where government processes seem like locked boxes, and public accountability is little more than a lofty dream. For decades, citizens across the globe felt exactly that. Then came Tom Steinberg and his groundbreaking venture, mySociety. This wasn’t just another nonprofit. It was a digital revolution, a reinvention of how ordinary people interact with public institutions.
At first glance, civic tech might sound dull or overly technical, but what Steinberg and his collaborators achieved was electrifying. They cracked open bureaucratic systems with tools that were elegant, transparent, and empowering. They bridged the gap between citizens and governments using websites that anyone could understand and use. Suddenly, people who once felt powerless gained the ability to monitor decisions, request information, and even expose hidden inefficiencies.
The story of mySociety is not just about coding websites—it’s about reshaping democracy for the digital age. It’s about instilling the belief that ordinary citizens can and should hold power to account. And it’s about demonstrating that technology, when driven by civic values, can change the way entire nations function.
If you’ve ever wondered how digital tools can bring real-world change, or how one man’s vision could ripple across continents, then this deep dive will uncover it all. By the end, you won’t just understand what mySociety accomplished—you’ll feel compelled to engage more fully in your own digital citizenship journey.
The Genesis of mySociety
The Spark of an Idea
In the early 2000s, Tom Steinberg was not yet the civic tech luminary we recognize today. He was an advisor at the UK Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, already immersed in the mechanics of governance. Yet, he saw a gaping hole: governments were slow to innovate, particularly in creating tools that connected citizens directly with institutions.
This realization was the seed for mySociety, founded in 2003. Unlike typical think tanks or NGOs, its mission was crystal clear: to build online tools that empower citizens to demand better governance. The idea was simple but radical—make technology serve democracy, not just commerce.
A Philosophy of Transparency
At its core, mySociety was built on one fundamental belief: that democracy thrives on openness. Steinberg argued that governments shouldn’t merely provide information—they should create mechanisms for accountability. Every tool mySociety launched reflected this ethos.
The Breakthrough Projects
FixMyStreet: Turning Complaints into Action
One of mySociety’s most celebrated creations was FixMyStreet. It addressed a universal frustration: broken streetlights, potholes, graffiti, and other local issues. Before, reporting these problems meant endless calls to the council, often with no resolution.
FixMyStreet transformed this. With just a few clicks, citizens could map the problem, submit it, and track its progress. Suddenly, civic complaints were no longer swallowed by bureaucratic black holes. Local governments, too, benefitted from streamlined reporting systems, reducing inefficiencies.
The genius wasn’t in inventing something new—it was in making the act of citizenship easy, visible, and empowering.
TheyWorkForYou: Making Politicians Accountable
Perhaps the most transformative project was TheyWorkForYou, a site that demystified parliamentary proceedings. Traditionally, Hansard (the official parliamentary record) was difficult for ordinary citizens to access or interpret. mySociety translated these documents into plain language, linked them to MPs, and allowed users to see exactly how their representatives voted.
This tool revolutionized digital citizenship in the UK. Citizens could now hold MPs accountable with unprecedented clarity. It wasn’t about opinion; it was about facts, easily accessible.
WriteToThem: Direct Access to Power
Another powerful creation was WriteToThem, which simplified the process of contacting local representatives. Many citizens didn’t know who represented them, let alone how to reach them. WriteToThem made it effortless: enter your postcode, get your representative, and send them a message.
This broke down barriers that had previously discouraged civic participation. Suddenly, contacting a councilor, MP, or even a European Parliament member was no harder than sending an email to a friend.
WhatDoTheyKnow: Freedom of Information for All
Transparency found its sharpest edge in WhatDoTheyKnow, a platform that allowed citizens to file and share Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The brilliance of this tool wasn’t just in filing requests—it was in publishing them online, so everyone could see both the question and the government’s answer.
This created a massive, crowdsourced library of government disclosures, making secrecy harder to maintain. Journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens alike found it invaluable for uncovering inefficiencies, scandals, and policy gaps.
Scaling the Vision
From the UK to the World
Though founded in Britain, mySociety’s influence quickly spread globally. Its open-source tools were adapted by other nations, from Norway to Kenya. Civic technologists across the world could take the code, customize it, and apply it to their own political systems.
This adaptability amplified Steinberg’s vision. Digital citizenship was no longer confined to the UK; it became a global movement.
Partnerships and Funding
Running a nonprofit tech venture isn’t easy. mySociety sustained itself through grants, partnerships with governments, and consultancy projects. Yet, Steinberg ensured the organization never lost sight of its core mission: building tools that empower citizens rather than governments alone.
Challenges Along the Way
Navigating Bureaucracy
Innovation often clashes with entrenched systems. Local councils sometimes resisted tools like FixMyStreet, fearing public scrutiny. Yet over time, many embraced these innovations once they saw efficiency gains.
Balancing Activism with Neutrality
Another challenge was maintaining neutrality. mySociety wasn’t about pushing political ideologies—it was about enabling transparency and accountability, regardless of party lines. This stance sometimes drew criticism from activists who wanted stronger political positions.
Sustaining Momentum
As with many nonprofits, funding remained a persistent challenge. Technology requires constant updates, and the demand for expansion often outpaced resources. Still, Tom Steinberg’s leadership kept the organization adaptive, ensuring longevity.
The Impact on Digital Citizenship
Empowering the Everyday Citizen
Before mySociety, many people felt detached from political processes. Its tools lowered the barrier to entry, making civic engagement as easy as browsing the internet. This empowerment redefined digital citizenship—participation wasn’t abstract anymore; it was practical, visible, and impactful.
Media and Transparency
Journalists found invaluable allies in platforms like WhatDoTheyKnow and TheyWorkForYou. News stories could be backed by hard data drawn directly from government disclosures. This elevated the role of investigative journalism and amplified public scrutiny.
Inspiring the Global Civic Tech Movement
Perhaps the greatest legacy is the inspiration mySociety provided to others. Organizations like Code for America, Open Knowledge Foundation, and numerous civic tech startups cite Steinberg’s work as a foundation for their own missions.
Lessons from Tom Steinberg and mySociety
Technology Must Serve Values
One of the clearest lessons is that technology is never neutral. The way it’s designed reflects underlying values. By prioritizing transparency and accountability, mySociety ensured that its tools served democratic ideals.
Simplicity Wins
Each tool was built with the user in mind. Rather than overwhelm with data, they simplified processes. This design ethos is why mySociety tools continue to thrive years later.
Collaboration Over Competition
By making its software open-source, mySociety demonstrated that impact matters more than ownership. Sharing its tools freely ensured that its reach extended far beyond what a single organization could achieve.
The Future of Digital Citizenship
As technology evolves, so too does the idea of digital citizenship. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, and real-time data analytics promise new opportunities—and new challenges. The question is whether future innovators will carry forward the same values of openness, simplicity, and empowerment that Tom Steinberg championed.
Already, we see governments experimenting with digital platforms for voting, budgeting, and citizen feedback. Yet, without the principles Steinberg emphasized, such innovations risk becoming tools of control rather than empowerment.
Conclusion
The story of Tom Steinberg and mySociety is not just about a nonprofit. It’s about a philosophy that reshaped how we think of democracy in the 21st century. By creating tools like FixMyStreet, TheyWorkForYou, WriteToThem, and WhatDoTheyKnow, Steinberg made participation simple, transparent, and accessible to all.
In doing so, he didn’t just change the UK—he ignited a global movement that continues to influence how societies engage with governance. His work proves that when technology aligns with civic values, it becomes more than innovation; it becomes transformation.
As we look to the future of digital citizenship, the legacy of mySociety stands as both a guide and a challenge. It reminds us that the power of democracy lies not in institutions alone but in the ability of citizens to hold those institutions accountable.
The call to action is simple: engage, question, and participate. Because in the end, democracy isn’t something delivered from above—it’s something built together, click by click, voice by voice, action by action.