jdc
By email: FOI archive email account [[email address]]; on behalf of; jdc325 [request-
[email address]]
20 June 2008
Dear jdc
Freedom of Information request: RFI20080636 – links to external websites on
bbc.co.uk
Thank you for your email of 12 June 2008. The reference number for your request is
RFI20080636. You requested:
“ Do the BBC have a written policy for making decisions on which external sites to provide links to
from the BBC website?
How offensive and/or dangerous would a site need to be before the BBC would refuse to link to
them?”
In answer to your request, the information you have requested is available on the BBC’s website
page about our links policy at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/home/links/
and in the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines and Online Services Guidelines at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/edguide/editorial/onlinelinkstoth.shtml and
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/editorialguidelines/onguide/editorial/linkstoexternal.shtml
Please note that your request is outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the
Act”) because the BBC and the other public service broadcasters are covered by the Act only in
respect of information held for purposes “other than those of journalism, art or literature” (see
Schedule I, Part VI of the Act). For more information about how the Act applies to the BBC
please see http://www.bbc.co.uk/foi. Please note that this guidance is not intended to be a
comprehensive legal interpretation of how the Act applies to the BBC.
We hope you find this helpful.
The BBC does not offer an internal review when the information requested is not covered by the
Act. If you disagree with our decision you can appeal to the Information Commissioner. Contact
details are: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire,
SK9 5AF telephone 01625 545 700.
http://www.ico.gov.uk/
Yours sincerely,
L. Stiller
Legal and Business Affairs Manager
BBC Future Media & Technology
