Practical tools · Records tracker
Government Technology Transparency Checklist
Follow the paper trail behind a government technology system. Record what you can verify, where you found it, and what is still missing.
Download two-page tracker ↓
A different kind of tool
Build the record.
This worksheet is for documenting evidence about one technology system. Fill in the agency and vendor, then locate each record below. Mark whether it is public, obtained by request, missing, or still unknown.
Record a source and date for each item. On page two, assemble the approval trail, funding picture, and gaps to follow up. A record’s existence does not establish that the system is effective or its safeguards are adequate.
Two pages with an evidence register, cost and approval fields, and a follow-up log.
Download PDF ↓Records to locate
- Approval recordAgenda, vote, minutes, or signed authorization
- Contract & amendmentsVendor agreement, scope, renewal, and terms
- Costs & fundingInvoices, budget line, grant, or funding source
- Operating policyWho may use the system and for what purpose
- Data inventoryWhat is collected, created, and held by whom
- Retention & deletionSchedule, backups, and vendor deletion terms
- Sharing agreementsRecipients, access rights, and onward sharing
- Access & audit controlsPermissions, logs, audit procedure
- Oversight & changesReviews, incidents, feature changes, renewals
What you will leave with
Which records exist, their status, and the source you can cite.
Who approved the system, when, for how long, and with what funding.
The missing records, who holds them, and the next action to take.
Ready to ask about surveillance?
The companion question list helps structure a conversation about collection, access, retention, sharing, logging, and oversight.
Open the question list →