Recent FoI stories
Back after an extended break, here's some FoI stories that have been in the news:
Financial data leaks put 16 million at risk (Computer Weekly, 16 October 2008)
More than 16.5 million people were placed at risk of identity theft, after their details were lost or stolen from financial services firms. The figures, obtained by Computer Weekly under the Freedom of Information Act, show more than one in four UK consumers have been placed at risk by financial firms last year.
Details of firms taken to tribunals to be made public (Institute of Leadership & Management, 17 October 2008)
The names and contact deals of firms involved in an employment tribunal must be made public, the Information Commissioner's Office has found. In a ruling made under the Freedom of Information Act, the body stated that there is a strong public information interest in this data being released. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) opposed the move, maintaining that releasing the material would prejudice the effective conduct of public affairs. According to the BERR, publication of the information would leave organisations open to direct marketing, reduce the chance of informally resolving disputes and damage the reputation of firms.
However, Graham Smith, deputy information commissioner, concluded that "there is a very weak – if any – public interest in maintaining the exemption".
Open e-mail requests earn award (Austin American-Statesman, 18 October 2008)
The...
