- Under the Freedom of Information Act, it’s everyone’s right to request - information from the UK Government and other UK public bodies. + Under the Freedom of Information Act, everyone has the right to request information from the UK Government and other UK public bodies.
- WhatDoTheyKnow shows you how to make a Freedom of Information request and - access information about central government, local government, Parliament, - the NHS, the armed forces, state-funded schools and universities and other - public authorities. + WhatDoTheyKnow shows you how to make a Freedom of Information request. You can access information about central government, local government, Parliament, the NHS, the armed forces, state-funded schools and universities, and other public authorities.
- You can also use the site to find out information that regulators hold - about businesses, charities and other organisations. + You can also use the site to find information that regulators hold about businesses, charities, and other organisations.
No. You can create an account on the site for free. Once you have an account, - you can make up to ten freedom of information requests free of charge each day. - The ten a day limit is more than enough for almost all of our users.
-We do offer a paid service for journalists and others who may need to make - a higher number of requests or have other special requirements. - The paid services is called WhatDoTheyKnow Pro.
++ No. You can create a free account on the site. Once you have an account, you can make up to ten free Freedom of Information requests each day. The ten-per-day limit is more than enough for almost all of our users. +
++ We offer a paid service called WhatDoTheyKnow Pro for journalists and others who may need to make more requests or have special requirements. +
- Public bodies are funded by the public purse: you pay taxes, and then - government funds its activities with your money: all sorts of things - that affect your life, from health care through to national defence. - Some it does well, some it does badly. + Public bodies are funded using public money. Since it's your money that public bodies are spending, you might want to check that they are running efficiently, making good decisions, and doing their job.
- Since it’s your money that public bodies are spending, you might be - interested to check that they are running efficiently, making good - decisions, and doing the job they are supposed to do. -
-- The more we find out about how government works, the better able we are - to make suggestions to celebrate the things that are done well, and - improve the things that are done badly. Some people and organisations - use the site for research; others for journalism, campaigning or - awareness-raising. Some are simply curious. + The more we find out about how government works, the better we can suggest ways to improve things that are done badly and celebrate things done well. Some people use the site for research, journalism, campaigning, or raising awareness. Others are simply curious.
- Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not - considered valid for FOI purposes. See our House Rules for more - information on how we expect people to use this site. + Requests for personal information and vexatious requests are not considered valid for FOI purposes. See our House Rules for more on how we expect people to use this site.
- If you believe a request is not suitable, you can report it for - attention by the site administrators. + If you believe a request is not suitable, you can report it for attention by the site administrators.
- If a request has already been reported to the site administrators, you - can’t report it a second time - this is to prevent the administrators - being notified multiple times about the same issue before they’ve had - a chance to conduct a review. + If a request has already been reported to the site administrators, you can't report it a second time. This prevents the administrators from being notified multiple times about the same issue before they've had a chance to review it.
- Where a request that you think should be taken down has been previously - reported, but a decision has been made not to remove it from public - view, you can use the form in the sidebar of the request page to contact - the administrators. + If you think a request that's been previously reported should be taken down, but a decision has been made not to remove it from public view, you can use the form in the sidebar of the request page to contact the administrators.
- We have over <%= number_with_delimiter(User.count.round(-4), :locale => @locale) %> - registered users and around 15% to 20% of requests to UK Central - Government are made through WhatDoTheyKnow. + We have over <%= number_with_delimiter(User.count.round(-4), locale: @locale) %> registered users. Around 15% to 20% of requests to UK Central Government are made through WhatDoTheyKnow.
- But that’s just the people who request information. Most visitors to our - website don’t make requests themselves, but benefit from being able to - access information that’s held in the requests and responses of others. - Around six million people per year visit the site. + But that's just the people who request information. Most visitors to our site don't make requests themselves. They benefit from being able to access information in the requests and responses of others. Around six million people per year visit the site.
- WhatDoTheyKnow is run and maintained by - mySociety. - mySociety is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. - - 1076346). - mySociety is also a limited company registered in England and Wales (no. - 03277032) - and a registered data controller (no. - Z9602302). - The - mySociety trustees form the governing body of the charity - and are ultimately responsible for controlling the management and - administration of the charity. mySociety’s registered - office is mySociety, 483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4BS. + mySociety runs and maintains WhatDoTheyKnow. mySociety is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1076346). mySociety is also a limited company registered in England and Wales (no. 03277032) and a registered data controller (no. Z9602302). The mySociety trustees form the governing body of the charity and are ultimately responsible for controlling the management and administration of the charity. mySociety's registered office is mySociety, 483 Green Lanes, London, N13 4BS.
mySociety is not a public body.
- The site was initially - - funded by the JRSST Charitable Trust. + The JRSST Charitable Trust initially funded the site.
- If you like what we’re doing, then you can - <%= link_to 'make a donation', donation_url( - utm_campaign: 'wdtk-help', utm_content: 'about-who-makes-wdtk' - ) %>. + If you like what we're doing, you can <%= link_to 'make a donation', donation_url(utm_campaign: 'wdtk-help', utm_content: 'about-who-makes-wdtk') %>.
- Next, read about - making requests --> + Next, read about making requests -->
- <%= render partial: 'history' %> - -- Violation of any of the below rules is likely to lead to the suspension of - your account, and you will no longer be able to make requests or updates on - WhatDoTheyKnow. -
-- In some cases, breaking these rules could lead to legal action being taken - against you by the authorities or an aggrieved party. -
-- Additionally, breaches often take significant amounts of volunteer time to - deal with and risk mySociety’s ability to run the service. -
+If you break any of these rules, we may suspend your account. This means you won't be able to make requests or updates on WhatDoTheyKnow.
+When rules are broken, our volunteers have to spend a lot of time fixing things. This could make it harder for mySociety to keep running this service.
- By breaking the rules above, you risk being banned from using the site, - and/or your requests/annotations being removed. In cases where it’s clear - that your intentions are not malicious, we will contact you first so that we - can give advice on how better to use the service. -
-- The use of threats and abusive language will result in no further contact from mySociety staff and volunteers, and a ban from using the site. -
- + +If you break these rules, you could be banned from the site. We may also remove your requests or annotations. We'll usually contact you first to give advice on how to use the service better.
+If you use threats or abusive language, mySociety staff and volunteers will stop responding to you. You'll also be banned from using the site.
<%= render partial: 'history' %> diff --git a/lib/views/help/requesting.html.erb b/lib/views/help/requesting.html.erb index 9da98091..b26eefa2 100644 --- a/lib/views/help/requesting.html.erb +++ b/lib/views/help/requesting.html.erb @@ -1,5 +1,5 @@ <% @title = "Making requests" %> -<%= render :partial => 'sidebar' %> +<%= render partial: 'sidebar' %>It can be hard to untangle the complicated structure of government, - and work out who has the information you want. Here are a few tips: -
-Understanding the structure of the government and finding the information you need can be tricky. + Here are a few tips to help you: +
+Please contact us with the - name of the public authority and, if you can find it, their contact email + name of the public authority and, if possible, their contact email address for Freedom of Information requests.
-If you’d like to help add a whole category of public authorities - to the site, we’d love to hear from you too. + to the site, we’d love to hear from you.
- As well as providing a simple way to make Freedom of Information - requests, WhatDoTheyKnow actively campaigns for the expansion of the scope - of Freedom of Information law to cover a wider number of public bodies. + WhatDoTheyKnow not only provides a simple way to make Freedom of Information + requests, but also actively campaigns to expand the scope of Freedom of + Information law to cover more public bodies.
Via the site, you can make requests for information to a range of @@ -81,29 +74,26 @@
- A Freedom of Information request is just what the name implies: a request - for information, or data. If the authority holds the data, in most cases, - the law obliges them to release it. -
-- You can speed up the process by making your request concise, clear and - focused. Include nothing more than what is needed for the Information - Officer to understand what information you are asking for. -
-- You should not include: -
-- The Freedom of Information process does not allow for general - correspondence, background details or the rights and wrongs of a - situation. It simply gives you the right to ask for documents or data - that the authority holds. -
-- Framing your request accordingly will get better results, so for example, - instead of asking “why are you doing X?” or “how do you feel about the - results of doing X” (which makes it more likely that your message will - not be seen as a valid FOI request, both by us and by the public authority) - you should ask for “copies of all policies and procedures regarding X”. - If you include extraneous material, we may have to remove your request to - avoid problems with libel law, which is inconvenient for both you and us. -
++ A Freedom of Information request is a request for information or data. If the authority has the information, + the law usually requires them to share it. +
++ You can get a quicker response by making your request short, clear, and to the point. Only include what you + really need. This helps the authority to know exactly what you're asking for. +
++ You should not include: +
++ The Freedom of Information process isn't for general discussion, sharing background details, + or debating what is right and wrong. It just lets you ask for documents or data that the + authority has. +
++ To get better results, set out your request properly. Asking "why are you + doing X?" or "how do you feel about the results of doing X?" might not be seen as a valid FOI request. + Instead, you could ask for "copies of all policies and procedures regarding X." If you include extra + information, we may have to remove your request to avoid legal issues, which is not good for + you or us. +
+- At WhatDoTheyKnow, we have an interest in making sure that our users’ - FOI requests are as effective as possible, because that’s better for - everyone. + We want to help you make good FOI requests because it's better for everyone.
Send targeted requests: - You might be planning to make a request to, for - example, all local councils, or even all public bodies in the country, - but it’s worth stopping to reflect. Such bulk requests result in a - lot of data, and cost a lot in staff time for the authorities. + You might want to ask all local councils or every public body in the country for information, but it's good + to think about it first. These bulk requests can give you a lot of data and take up a lot of time for the + staff to handle.
- Will you actually be able to handle that quantity of data? Consider - if your needs could be met by requesting information from a - representative sample of bodies, or by requesting information from - your local council and a set of councils covering areas with similar - characteristics. + Will you actually be able to handle that amount of data? Think about if you could get the information you need + by asking a few authorities instead. For example, you could ask your local council and a few others that are + similar.
- Also consider if the information may be held centrally, for example - by a Government department, and so obtained via a single request - rather than many. + Is the information may be held centrally by a Government department. If it is you might be able to make a single + request, rather than a large number.
@@ -298,37 +259,32 @@ #
- If you want information to support an argument or campaign, Freedom of - Information is a powerful tool. -
-+ Freedom of Information is a powerful tool if you need information to support an argument or campaign. +
+Authorities often include standardised text in their acknowledgement messages saying they “may” charge a fee, which, understandably, can be a - little frightening. Ignore such notices. They hardly ever will actually - charge a fee. -
-- Most of the activities that authorities can charge for, such as - photocopying, and postage, don’t usually apply to requests made via - WhatDoTheyKnow, which are all conducted via email. Additionally, a - public body can only charge you if you have specifically agreed in - advance to pay. See more details - from the Information Commissioner. -
-- Sometimes an authority will refuse your request, saying that the cost to - them of handling it exceeds the limits - of £600 (for central government) or £450 (for all other public - authorities). At this point you could choose to refine your request: - for example, it would be much cheaper for an authority to tell you the + little frightening. Ignore such notices. Most of the things that authorities + can charge for don’t apply to requests made via WhatDoTheyKnow. You will hardly + ever be asked for money. If you are, you would always have the chance to say no. + A public body can only charge you if you have agreed in advance to pay. See + more details + from the ICO. +
++ Sometimes an authority will refuse your request, saying that it would cost them too much to answer. + The limits + are £600 (for central government) or £450 (for all other public + authorities). At this point you can refine your request: + for example, it could be cheaper for an authority to tell you the amount spent on advertising in the past year than in the past ten years.
- The law requires that if you ask for the information to be provided in a - particular format the public authority is required to do so, so long as - it is as reasonably practicable. If you would like to receive the information - in a specific format, you should ask for this when you make your request. + If you ask for the information to be provided in a particular format, the public authority has to do so, so long as + it is reasonably practicable. If you want to receive the information in a specific format, you must + ask for this when you make your request.
You might want to explicitly request data in a reusable format such as a - .csv file (which you can import into spreadsheet software); this helps - prevent the response being provided as images, or screenshots of - spreadsheets which are much harder to extract data from. + .csv file. This helps prevent the response being provided as images, or + screenshots of spreadsheets that are harder to extract data from.
- There’s no need to explicitly request a response ‘via email’, though: we - consider that by making your request via WhatDoTheyKnow, you are already - making this clear. + There’s no need to explicitly request a response ‘via email’. By making your request via WhatDoTheyKnow, + you are already making this clear.
- By law, public authorities must respond “promptly” to requests. - We interpret this to mean that you should expect a response as soon as - is practical for the authority in question, taking into consideration - factors such as the quantity of information you have requested, the - authority’s workload from other requests, and the staff available to - deal with them. + Public authorities must respond “promptly” to requests. + This means that you should expect a response as soon as + is practical for the authority to answer, taking into consideration + the amount of information you have asked for, their + workload, and the staff available to deal with your request.
- In any case, the law states that they must respond within 20 working + The law states that they must respond within 20 working days, with a couple of exceptions: if you had to clarify your request, - or your request is to a school, or in one or two other scenarios, then + or your request is to a school, or in one or two other scenarios, then they may have more time — you can read more about timescales here.
- WhatDoTheyKnow will automatically send you an email reminder if you don’t - get a response within the time limit. You can then send the public - authority a message to chase your request, and tell them if they are - breaking the law. + We will automatically send you an email reminder if you don’t + get a response within the time limit. You can then send the public + authority a message to prompt them to reply.
- There are several things you can do if your request goes unanswered. -
-+ You can read more about what to do if you don't get a response at all on our + dedicated help page. +
- Authorities often add legal boilerplate citing the - “Re-Use of Public Sector - Information Regulations 2005”, which at first glance implies you may not - be able do anything with the information. They also sometimes put copyright - notices on material. -
-- Careful scrutiny of the legislation, however, shows that you are at - liberty to write articles about the information, summarise it, or quote - parts of it. It’s WhatDoTheyKnow’s belief that you should feel free to - republish the information in full, just as we do, even though in theory - you might not be allowed to do so: - our policy on copyright explains why. -
-- If the information you have received is Crown Copyright then you are able to - reproduce it under the - Open - Government Licence but there are some conditions — check that link for - more details. -
++ Authorities often add legal boilerplate citing the + + + “Re-Use of Public Sector + Information Regulations 2005”. They also sometimes put copyright + notices on material. +
++ If the information you have received is Crown Copyright then you are able to + reproduce it under the + Open + Government Licence but there are some conditions — check that link for + more details. +
- Have a look at the - - access to official information pages on the Information - Commissioner’s website. -
-If you’re requesting information from a Scottish public authority, - the process is very similar, although there are differences around time - limits for compliance. - See the - - Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance for details. -
++ Have a look at the + + access to official information pages on the Information + Commissioner’s website. +
++ If you’re requesting information from a Scottish public authority, + the process is very similar, although there are differences around time + limits for compliance. + See the + + Scottish Information Commissioner’s guidance for details. +
- No. The correct channel for requesting any information that a public - authority holds about you is via a Subject Access request using the Data - Protection law. -
-- This website does not allow for such requests, not least because we - publish correspondence online, where anyone would be able to see the - potentially sensitive information that can result from such requests. - - The Information Commissioner’s website provides advice on how to make a - Subject Access request. -
-- If you see that somebody has included personal information, perhaps - by mistake, in a request, please - contact us immediately so we can remove it. -
++ No. If you want to access information that a public + authority holds about you, you need to make a Subject Access request in private. +
++ We don't allow subject access requests to be made using WhatDoTheyKnow. + + The Information Commissioner’s website provides advice on how to make a + Subject Access request. +
++ If you see that somebody has included personal information in a request, please + + contact us so that we can remove it. +
- When seeking information relating to a deceased person please carefully - consider if a Freedom of Information request via WhatDoTheyKnow is - appropriate and think about the potential impacts of making the request, + When seeking information relating to a deceased person please + consider if a Freedom of Information request is + appropriate. Think about the potential impacts of making the request, and receiving a response, in public.
WhatDoTheyKnow is only for making requests for information which anyone - could expect to obtain if they requested it. There are some laws, and - procedures, which give certain people special rights to information, + could expect to be given. There are laws, and + procedures, which give some people special rights to information, such as the @@ -562,9 +463,8 @@ Ministry of Defence procedure for accessing records of deceased service - personnel. Where the requester has a special right to the - information being sought requests should be made privately and directly - and not via WhatDoTheyKnow. + personnel. If you have a special right to the + information, your request should be made directly, and not via WhatDoTheyKnow.
If you think there is information about a deceased person that we @@ -579,17 +479,16 @@
- WhatDoTheyKnow is currently only designed for public requests. All + WhatDoTheyKnow is currently designed for public requests. Almost all responses that we receive are automatically published on the website for anyone to read.
- However, WhatDoTheyKnowPro is a service for journalists and - campaigners which includes the ability to delay publication of your + WhatDoTheyKnowPro is a service for journalists and + campaigners that includes the ability to delay publication of your requests and responses. If you are a journalist, campaigner, activist, - or someone else with a need to make requests for information which are, - at least initially, private then - find out more and get in touch. + or someone else with a need to make requests for information which are initially private + then find out more and get in touch.
- Some public - authorities, such as - Milford Haven Port Authority, don’t - come under the Freedom of Information Act, but do come under another law - called the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). -
-It’s a very similar law, so you make a request - to them using WhatDoTheyKnow in just the same way as an FOI request. The only - difference is that on the page where your write you request, it reminds you - that you can only request “environmental information” and tells you what that - means. It is quite broad. -
-- You can, of course, request environmental information from other - authorities. Just make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request as normal. The - authority has a duty to work out if the Environmental Information Regulations - (EIR) is the more appropriate legislation to reply under. -
++ Some public + authorities, such as + Milford Haven Port Authority, don’t + come under the Freedom of Information Act, but do come under another law + called the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). +
+It’s a very similar law, so you make a request + to them using WhatDoTheyKnow in just the same way as an FOI request. The only + difference is that on the page where your write your request, it reminds you + that you can only request “environmental information” and tells you what that + means. It is quite broad. +
++ You can ask for environmental information from other + authorities. Just make a request as normal. The + authority has a duty to work out what the right law is to reply under. +
- This is possible, under certain circumstances. We urge those considering - making requests to large numbers of bodies to carefully consider if - doing so is justified. Thought should be given to the potential cost to - the public sector, the reputation of Freedom of Information and - WhatDoTheyKnow as well as the potential benefits of having the - information released. + This is possible, under some circumstances. There is a daily cap on the + number of requests that can be using WhatDoTheyKnow. This is to help prevent + spam. We would recommend sending a test version of your request to a few authorities. + Their responses will help you improve the wording of your request.
- Once you are sure that your requests are valid and defensible, we ask - you to first send a test version to a few authorities. Their responses - will help you improve the wording of your request, so that you get the - best information when you go on to send it to the remaining authorities. -
-- There are some automated restrictions on the number of requests that - can be sent through WhatDoTheyKnow at a time. These are for spam - prevention and can be overridden on request. Before removing - restrictions on accounts the team may make suggestions aimed at - improving the requests, and checking information isn’t already - published, or hasn’t already been collated centrally, and can’t be - obtained by a request to just one body. -
-- There is currently no automated system for sending the request to - multiple authorities: you must copy and paste it by hand; however, if - you are a journalist, activist, campaigner or someone else who would + If you are a journalist, activist, campaigner or someone else who would find it useful to have a tool enabling you to make requests to multiple bodies at the same time, then you might be interested in our <%= link_to 'WhatDoTheyKnow Pro service', account_request_index_path %>. @@ -661,52 +540,45 @@
- WhatDoTheyKnow is an archive of requests made through the site, and does - not aspire to be an archive of all FOI requests. -
-- For that reason, we don’t provide a means by which to upload requests - that were made by other means, and we have no plans to do so in the - future. The main reason for this is that we can’t verify that responses - received from outside our system actually came from the authority they - purport to — and we are keen to ensure that all content on - WhatDoTheyKnow is 100% verifiable. + WhatDoTheyKnow is an archive of requests made using our service. We don’t + allow users to upload requests that were made by other means. We have no + plans to add this feature in the future. This is because we can’t verify + that responses received from outside of our system actually came from the + authority. We want to make sure that all content on WhatDoTheyKnow is 100% verifiable.
-
- It is exceptionally rare that a Freedom of Information request requires - an attached document, so we don’t offer this functionality. If - necessary, you can upload material to other services such as flickr.com, + It is not possible to add attachments to requests made using WhatDoTheyKnow. + You could upload the file to services such as flickr.com, Google Docs, or scribd.com and then provide a link in the body of your - request. Where a location on map is required as part of a request, many + request. Where a location on map is required as part of a request, many online mapping services, such as Google Maps, allow you to share exact co-ordinates via a link.
-- If you work for a public body and you know of information that the + If you work for a public body and you know of information that the public should have access to, making a Freedom of Information request - via WhatDoTheyKnow can be a good way to get it into the public domain. + via WhatDoTheyKnow can be a good way to get it released. We’re happy for people to use our service under a pseudonym (although you should first read our advice on using pseudonyms).
- Whistleblowers keen to keep their identity secret should take + Whistleblowers who want to keep their identity secret + + should take precautions such as not making their request from their workplace, and not using their work email address (it’s possible a court may order us to release user information we hold). Using a pre-paid mobile phone @@ -715,42 +587,35 @@
You may wish to consider setting up a new account for your - whistleblowing request as your history of requests may help people to identify you. - + whistleblowing request, as previous requests may help people to identify you. The UK charity Protect aims to make whistleblowing work for individuals, organisations and society and offers a free, confidential whistleblowing advice line. For EU citizens and residents the EU Human Rights Defenders Relocation Platform may be able to offer assistance. - See also: Hints and Tips for Whistleblowing from Spy Blog and + href="https://p10.secure.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/ssl/ht4w/2011/06/table-of-contents.html">Hints and Tips for Whistleblowing from Spy Blog
-- Annotations on WhatDoTheyKnow have a specific purpose: they are provided - so that the site’s community of users can help people get the - information they want, or, once they’ve received it, give them advice - about the next steps they might take. We reserve the right to remove - annotations that don’t fit into one of these categories. + Annotations on WhatDoTheyKnow are for helping other people to get the + information they want, or, giving advice about the next steps they might take. + We reserve the right to remove annotations that don’t fit into one of these categories.
Political discussions and personal opinions are not allowed in - annotations: if you feel strongly that you need to provide background + annotations. If you feel strongly that you need to provide background context, you may post a link to a suitable forum, blog post or campaign - site elsewhere. Please see our House Rules section for more information about the standards we - expect our users to adhere to. + site elsewhere. Please see our House Rules for more information.
- We want to keep our service tightly focused on its purpose, and with - limited administrative resources, we prioritise substantive FOI requests - and responses. For that reason we spend less time on the moderation of - annotations than of FOI correspondence, and the threshold for removal of + With limited administrative resources, we prioritise substantive FOI requests + and responses. We spend less time on the moderation of + annotations than of FOI requests, and the threshold for removal of annotations is relatively low.