OPRAmachine celebrates 5 years of improving public access to NJ records

OPRAmachine celebrates 5 years of improving public access to NJ records
Photo by Waldemar Brandt / Unsplash

Today, we are proud to announce that the OPRAmachine platform is celebrating its 5th anniversary! Over the past five years, we have worked tirelessly to make access to public records in New Jersey easier, faster, and more transparent than ever before.

Since we first launched in 2017, we have been committed to our mission of increasing access to public records and providing a platform for people to easily and efficiently obtain the information they need - while also supporting a robust, wide open public debate by protecting the ability of our members to speak freely on matters of public concern.

As we look back on the past five years, we are proud of what we have accomplished and we are excited to continue serving the people of New Jersey. In the coming months and years, we have big plans for the platform and we can't wait to share them with you.

Unfortunately, our work has not always been met with open arms. Despite the clear benefits of government transparency, some in power have resisted our efforts to make public records more accessible. Recent trends in policy proposals aimed at weakening disclosure, such as those that hide disclosures of properties owned by public officials and attempts to weaken OPRA legislatively, are cause for concern and a reminder that access to information is an ongoing battle.

However, through our persistence and the support of those who believe in government transparency, we have been able to overcome many of these obstacles and move the needle significantly towards increased access to public information. There are too many individual supporters and community members who have contributed to the platform's success to name individually. Our platform has been widely recognized for its impact on access to information in New Jersey and has been lauded by journalists, activists, and everyday citizens alike.

In the past five years, we have seen incredible growth on the OPRAmachine platform. The platform has processed tens of thousands of requests for public records submitted by our users, with many users saving time and benefitting from the platform's easy to use interface.

We want to thank everyone who has supported us along the way and we look forward to continuing to improve access to public records in the state and serving our community of users and stakeholders. Thank you for being a part of our journey!