Retention of Biometric Data

Amit Hidri made this Freedom of Information request to Home Office This request has been closed to new correspondence. Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

The request was partially successful.

Dear Home Office,

I previously requested the release of your guidance for destruction of biometric data of eea nationals. This can be seen on What Do They Know: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d...

It has been pointed out that I may have incorrectly phrased my request to yourself.

Can you please provide myself with the guidance you store relating to the retention of biometric data.

Can you please provide your guidance on:

* purpose limitation and proportionality of data processed in relation to biometric data

* obtaining, storing, and access to biometric data

Please provide me information you store, which outlines the measures which you implement to prevent unlawful or unauthorised access to and collection of biometric data

Please provide me the information you store, which outlines the processing operations likely to present speciffic risks to the rights and freedoms of data subjects.

Have the Home Office contacted the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at any point in relation to storage of Biometric Data. Please provide any reports / documentation produced by ICO checks.

Please provide guidance you store, which outlines security obligations in relation to biometric data.

If you store any further guidance relating to the obtaining, storage, destruction or otherwise of biometric data, which is in current usage, please provide that guidance to myself also.

In short: Please provide a full copy of all guidance relating to biometric data, which is currently applicable.

Yours faithfully,

Amit Hidri

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office FOI Requests mailbox.

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 provides public access to
recorded information held by the department.
If you have submitted a valid FoI request, we will acknowledge your
request within 24 hours, and aim to provide the information requested
within 20 working days as specified under the FoI Act.

Please note we are unable to respond to non-FOI immigration enquiries. If
you have a general immigration enquiry, or require an update on a specific
case, contact information can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati... and
https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

FOI Requests, Home Office

Dear Amit Hidri

Thank you for your recent e mail concerning the above matter.

We are dealing with your enquiry and aim to send a response by 29/08/2014

Regards

Information Management Services (IMS)

Corporate Services

[1]www.gov.uk/home-office

show quoted sections

Wayne Pearsall left an annotation ()

If the ICO have conducted checks then they should hold the information also: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/i...

FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Please find attached a letter about your Freedom of Information request

Information Access Team

show quoted sections

Dear Home Office,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Home Office's handling of my FOI request 'Retention of Biometric Data'.

32457

You stated a response would be provided by September 24th. I am still awaiting your response. Please can you provide the information requested.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/r...

Yours faithfully,

Amit Hidri

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office FOI Requests mailbox.

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 provides public access to
recorded information held by the department.
If you have submitted a valid FoI request, we will acknowledge your
request within 24 hours, and aim to provide the information requested
within 20 working days as specified under the FoI Act.

Please note we are unable to respond to non-FOI immigration enquiries. If
you have a general immigration enquiry, or require an update on a specific
case, contact information can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati... and
https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

FOI Responses, Home Office

Dear Mr/ Ms Hidri

I write further to our letter of  29 August 2014 informing you that we
needed to extend the FOI response period to the 26 September 2014.

Unfortunately as you are aware, you have yet to receive a response to your
request for information. Although we did aim to respond by 26 September
2014, consideration of this case is taking longer than we anticipated, so
we have been unable to do so. I would like to apologise for this delay,
but want to reassure you that your request is under active consideration.

I cannot say precisely when we will be in a position to provide a
substantive response, but I hope that the delay will not be too long.

Yours sincerely

Information Access Team

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

Wayne Pearsall left an annotation ()

Ahh, and thats another Twelfth of Never ETA.

BritCits left an annotation ()

Perhaps one for the Information Commissioner? This length of time is unacceptable for the provision of what should be a clear and transparent policy.

Dear Home Office,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Home Office's handling of my FOI request 'Retention of Biometric Data'.

32457

I am still awaiting your response. Please can you provide the information requested.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/r...

Yours faithfully,

Amit Hidri

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office FOI Requests mailbox.

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 provides public access to
recorded information held by the department.

If you have submitted a valid FoI request, we will acknowledge your
request within 48 hours, and aim to provide the information requested
within 20 working days as specified under the FoI Act

PLEASE NOTE

If you have a general immigration enquiry, or require an update on a
specific case, you should contact UKVI directly, contact information can
be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati... and
[1]https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration

General enquiries should be directed to [2][email address]  

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration
2. mailto:[email%20address]

Amit Hidri left an annotation ()

To think that this information should be available to the Information Commissioner I do not understand why I have failed to receive my response to date. This request has been ongoing for almost a year.

FOI Requests, Home Office

Amit Hidri

Thank you for contacting the Home Office

This will be handled as an Time Complaint of your Freedom of Information
request (case ref 32457) and has been assigned to a caseworker to
investigate and respond to you in due course.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you

FOI Requests

Home Office

show quoted sections

FOI Responses, Home Office

7 Attachments

Please find attached, a response to your Freedom of Information enquiry

Information Access Team

show quoted sections

FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Dear Mr. Hidri,

Please see attached final response for the above time complaint (FOI
32457, Hidri).

Hope it helps.

Many thanks,

Yours sincerely,

G. Banerjee

Information Access Team

Knowledge and Information Management Unit

Performance and Risk Directorate

Home Office

LGR Floor, Seacole Building, 2 Marsham Street,

London  SW1P 4DF

[1]www.gov.uk/home-office

Need help with your information? Visit the new [2]Manage information pages
on Horizon

From: FOI Requests
Sent: 06 January 2015 15:55
To: '[FOI #222368 email]'
Subject: Time Complaint: 32457 (Amit Hidri) 2014-01-06 (IMS)
acknowledgement

Amit Hidri

Thank you for contacting the Home Office

This will be handled as an Time Complaint of your Freedom of Information
request (case ref 32457) and has been assigned to a caseworker to
investigate and respond to you in due course.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you

FOI Requests

Home Office

show quoted sections

Dear Home Office,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Home Office's handling of my FOI request 'Retention of Biometric Data' 32457.

I did submit this request to yourselves on 14th Jan, but I submitted it via my other request on WDTK. Please respond via this email address!

For ease of reference, please see:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/d... (as linked to in my original request) which clearly states "as to do so would breach Article 8 and 14 of the ECHR (as they are not Persons Subject to Immigration Control)". *(I am sure you will see where my issue with your response comes from).

I note that you have released information relating to the police
force. None of which includes the term "Family member of an EEA
National" - the reason being: This request focused on Immigration,
as you know very well.

You have not made a reasonable assumption on this request, instead,
you have absolutely and completely avoided providing the
information of which I requested.

Please provide all Biometric Data relating to Immigration cases. By
avoiding immigration, I believe that you have deliberately avoided
the information asked for to be released. The term Family Member of
an EEA National should of immediately sparked immigration,
considering my communication with you over the past year on this
subject.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/r...

Yours faithfully,

Amit Hidri

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office FOI Requests mailbox.

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 provides public access to
recorded information held by the department.

If you have submitted a valid FoI request, we will acknowledge your
request within 48 hours, and aim to provide the information requested
within 20 working days as specified under the FoI Act

PLEASE NOTE

If you have a general immigration enquiry, or require an update on a
specific case, you should contact UKVI directly, contact information can
be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati... and
[1]https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration

General enquiries should be directed to [2][email address]  

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration
2. mailto:[email%20address]

Wayne Pearsall left an annotation ()

The Home Office must get through some paper... Avoiding the Question 2: http://youtu.be/VMqnK6aOM3U

FOI Requests, Home Office

Amit Hidri

Thank you for contacting the Home Office

This will be handled as an Internal Review of your Freedom of Information
request (case ref 32457) and has been assigned to a caseworker to
investigate and respond to you in due course.

If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you

FOI Requests

Home Office

show quoted sections

Travis Smith left an annotation ()

Annex E is missing?

Dear Home Office,

case ref 32457

Please can you confirm the status of my FOI Internal Review? It has been over two months since you stated I would receive a response "In due course", and the ICO are very clear that it expects that a P.A. completes an Internal Review within 40 days.

Yours faithfully,

Amit Hidri

FOI Requests, Home Office

Thank you for contacting the Home Office FOI Requests mailbox.

The Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2000 provides public access to
recorded information held by the department.

If you have submitted a valid FoI request, we will acknowledge your
request within 48 hours, and aim to provide the information requested
within 20 working days as specified under the FoI Act

PLEASE NOTE

If you have a general immigration enquiry, or require an update on a
specific case, you should contact UKVI directly, contact information can
be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisati... and
[1]https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration

General enquiries should be directed to [2][email address]  

show quoted sections

Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
recorded for legal purposes.

References

Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/visas-immigration
2. mailto:[email%20address]

Amit Hidri left an annotation ()

Given that the Home Office's new EEA(FM) form which is applicable from 6th April 2015 https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio... states a legal obligation to supply biometric data this must mean that the Home Office have consulted the ICO as clearly outlined by the EC in their communication in 2012?

FOI Responses, Home Office

Dear Mr Hidri,

I confirm your request for an internal review into the handling of FOI request 32457 is under active consideration and you will receive the outcome shortly.

I apologise for the delay in you receiving a response.

Yours sincerely

L. Picton

show quoted sections

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

A Senior Security Manager from the Home Office (apparently a private contractor filling this role) has contacted WhatDoTheyKnow.com asking us to take down the document released as "Annex G.pdf" above.

Following this correspondence a mobile number, and some email addresses have been removed. Our system usually removes such material automatically but it couldn't cope with the formatting in this case. The address of a Home Office office has also been removed.

The Home Office claimed the document "is too sensitive to release on the public domain as it potentially provides helpful information to any would-be hacker/attacker".

We responded to say:

"The document was released in response to a request about how biometric data is stored by the Home Office. Information on how the home-office IT systems are secured was exactly what was being sought. You have not identified any specific material which you consider would be helpful to a hacker/attacker. I note that sections of the document on passwords and physical security were redacted before release; what remains appears to be internal administrative procedures."

The Home Office also said: "references to operational systems such as "IABS" should also be removed as that poses a security risk to the system in question."

We replied: "The IABS (Immigration and asylum biometric system) is mentioned in any documents on the Home Office's own website as well as elsewhere on the web including in evidence to Parliamentary committees. We will not be removing references to it from our website."

--

Richard - WhatDoTheyKnow.com volunteer

FOI Responses, Home Office

1 Attachment

Dear A Hidri,

Please see the attached outcome of the internal review into the handling
of FOI request 32457.

I apologise for the delay in you receiving a response. 

Yours sincerely

L. Picton

show quoted sections