Information Commissioner's Office

Summary: The complainant requested information concerning referrals for suspected grooming on BEBO to the Metropolitan Police and to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. The public authority refused to confirm or deny whether it held information falling within the scope of the request and cited the exemptions provided by sections 23(5) (information relating to, or supplied by, security bodies), 30(3) (information held for the purposes of investigations), 31(3) (prejudice to law enforcement), 38(2) (endangerment to health and safety), 40(5) (personal information) and 44(2) (statutory prohibitions to disclosure). The Commissioner finds that the public authority applied the exemption provided by section 23(5) correctly and so was not obliged to provide confirmation or denial of whether it held information falling within the scope of the request. However, he also finds that the public authority failed to comply with the requirements of sections 17(1)(c) and 17(3)(a) in not providing adequate explanations for the exemptions cited.
Section of Act/EIR & Finding: FOI 17 - Complaint Upheld, FOI 23 - Complaint Not upheld