ICO clamps down on pseudonymous information requests

Government organisations are being encouraged to refuse public requests for information if they believe real names have not been supplied, under new guidelines from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The ICO reminded public authorities yesterday that people using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) sometimes use …

[Secretgeek]

The crucial thing.

Is the promotion of a 'common sense' approach. Admirable but unfortunately often lacking in public authorities.

[Anonymous Coward]

obvious psudonyms

how obvious do they have to be, and if the name turns out to be genuine what sort of redress is there?

i only ask as i have recently come across one of our offshore IT guys named Phani Tickler!

[R Callan]

obvious psudonyms 2

and I'm certain most people have known a John Smith or Robert Brown

[Anonymous Coward]

obvious psudonyms

"i only ask as i have recently come across one of our offshore IT guys named Phani Tickler!"

and I once knew a Miss Ellie Phant. Her parents must have been cruel.

[Anonymous Coward]

Parents have a lot to answer to ...

There was a Mr Brain as one of the teachers at school. Unfortunately he chose to teach in the same school as his brother -- and hence for purposes of distinction HAD to be referred to as "Mr P Brain".

[Anonymous Coward]

Or fear reprisal

Or indeed they may use a fake name, if the freedom of information request may cause a reprisal. If the information is supposed to be available why does it need to even be requested by anyone AT ALL, let alone only to a NAMED person?

There's another problem here, and that is that you've created an excuse for refusing to provide information.....

Surely if the same request come in then the second time is just a photocopy of the first time, not a fresh request!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes I've met them all

Myles Long

Rose Thorne (prickley subject)

Hugh Ryan (No, I'm not taking the piss)

P(aul) Ennis (use your full name, about 1,790,000 hits on google )

Another google reveals 11,200,000 "Richard Head"s

Paris, 'cos she knows what to do with Mr P. Ennis

[Anonymous Coward]

Now how can we get you to prove your identity?

Oh look - another "reason" why we "must" have ID cards....

Sigh!

[Steve]

When I was at uni

There was a guy in the teaching hospital called Dr Death (pronounce day-ath).

[Kanhef]

@AC 16:04

Requests are needed because the information asked for often requires some research, not just finding a single document, and they don't want you walking into the office and digging through their files without asking. They need a name and address so they know who to send the information to once they've found it.

[Anonymous Coward]

What does my name matter

When they're replying to an email address?

[richard]

And think of poor old

Norbert Wank in the US, It took me a full 15 minutres to explain to my canadaian co-workers why I'd just almost chocked to death on my coffee