The Foilies 2026: Recognizing the Worst in Government Transparency

Written by Kelly Kauffman, Anna Massoglia, Dillon Bergin, Aaron Mackey, Dave Maass and Beryl Lipton

Established in 2015, The Foilies are an annual project by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and MuckRock to recognize the agencies, officials and contractors that thwart the public’s right to know. We give out these tongue-in-cheek “awards” during Sunshine Week (March 15-21), a collective effort by media and advocacy organizations to highlight the importance of open government.  

This year, we’ve got a few “winners” whose behavior defies belief.