Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant requested to be informed of the contents of communications between the public authority and the Internet Watch Foundation concerning an image that had been temporarily removed from Wikipedia. The public authority refused to confirm or deny whether it held information falling within the scope of this request and cited the exemption provided by section 30(3) (information relating to investigations). The Commissioner finds that this exemption is not engaged and that the public authority failed to comply with the requirements of sections 1(1)(a) and 10(1) in not providing confirmation or denial of whether relevant information was held within 20 working days of receipt of the request. The Commissioner also finds that the public authority failed to comply with the requirement of section 17(1)(c) in that it did not provide any adequate explanation as to why the exemption was engaged. The public authority is required to confirm or deny whether it holds information falling within the scope of the request and, if any relevant information is held, either disclose this or provide a refusal notice valid for the purposes of section 17 of the Act.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 10 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 30 - Complaint Upheld