Much of what we know about government and corporate surveillance and the effectiveness of encryption today has been revealed through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.



Through FOI we’ve learned practical details of Australia’s mandatory data-retention system (https://www.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/2016/02/05/another-big-story-from-right-to-know-and-how-you-can-do-it-too/), how Stingray devices (https://theintercept.com/2016/09/12/long-secret-stingray-manuals-detail-how-police-can-spy-on-phones/) are used by US Police, and the ABS’s policy (https://www.righttoknow.org.au/request/census_how_will_abs_deal_with_th) for prosecuting people who refuse to fill out the Census. Do you have questions for our government? Come and learn how easy it is to make FOI request and put your right to know to use.



The OpenAustralia Foundation (https://www.openaustraliafoundation.org.au/) is teaming up with CryptoParty Sydney (https://www.cryptoparty.in/sydney) to help you use your Right To Know. You’ll learn the basics of FOI, what kinds of information you can get, and why CryptoParty People are perfectly positioned to get important documents released. After a presentation to learn the basics, we’ll get hands on and you’ll actually make an FOI request in our Right To Know workshop.



The OpenAustralia Foundation runs Right To Know (https://www.righttoknow.org.au/), a website that helps you access documents held by Australian government authorities. Everyone has the right to ask for information, and by law they have to respond.



CryptoParty is a decentralised movement with events happening all over the world. The goal is to pass on knowledge about protecting yourself in the digital space. This can include encrypted communication, preventing being tracked while browsing the web, and general security advice regarding computers and smartphones.



CryptoParty Sydney (https://www.cryptoparty.in/sydney) events are open for everyone, but especially for people without prior knowledge of encryption who want to get started. The events are, for free, and most of all, fun.