MuckRock has begun processing 153 free FOIA requests submitted in honor of Internet pioneer and transparency activist Aaron Swartz, who died earlier this month at age 26.

Automatic license plate reader (ALPR) technology is among a new generation of law enforcement tools that enables police to scan the plate of any car that passes. In Somerville, Mass., aldermen are now asking questions after a MuckRock request revealed ALPR had been used without a written policy addressing privacy issues.

With the unbelievable support and determination of our users, the 2012 Drone Census has uncovered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in use or development at dozens of government agencies ranging from universities and environmental regulators to national guard units and police departments.

The FAA has put the brakes on the Georgia Tech police department’s goal to “lead the world in the use of unmanned aircraft for law enforcement,” which entailed football game surveillance and monitoring freshman move-in with their micro-UAV.

MuckRock user Robert Delaware requested complaints against Yelp to the FTC from the last four years, and got back 700 - that amounts to almost one complaint filed every two days, with most coming from small-scale entrepreneurs who are especially vulnerable to online reviews.

Even as America begins processing that harrowing news that pop superstar Beyoncé dubbed over her inaugural performance of Star-Spangled Banner, there is a silver lining: The country might inherit a public domain work from the 16-time Grammy Award winner.

29 pounds and seven feet long, the jet fuel-powered Shadowhawk unmanned helicopter not only dwarfs the UAVs of peer departments, but exceeds the weight limit set by the FAA. While the Texas Attorney General ordered MCSO to release its UAV policy to MuckRock, both the FAA and the sheriff refuse to disclose whether the department has an active drone certificate despite the weight rule.

MuckRock has lost a beloved user, a mentor, and friend, and the world has lost one of its great spirits with the death of Aaron Swartz. He had the audacious beliefs that people should be able to read the laws that governed them, that a government by the people and for the people should be held accountable to the people, and that a robust public commons was a right, and not a privilege to be revoked.

Today, in memory of Internet pioneer and transparency activist Aaron Swartz, MuckRock will help publicly file your requests free of charge: Pick an agency, a topic, and if you have a memory of Aaron, please include that.