Removing Information #

If you would like to ask for information to be removed from WhatDoTheyKnow, please read this page first.

WhatDoTheyKnow is a permanent, public archive of Freedom of Information requests. We do not usually remove information unless we are required to by law, it breaches our house rules, or there is a risk to the safety of our users or others.

We consider all requests to remove information on a case-by-case basis. We are committed to acting in the public interest when making decisions related to the archive. In addition, we will sometimes remove information on compassionate grounds.

Inappropriate content #

We are keen to act quickly to remove problematic material that shouldn’t be on the site. This would include:

• Requests for a user’s own personal information (sometimes called ‘subject access requests’).
• Personal correspondence not related to freedom of information requests.
• Material that is offensive or abusive.
• Material that is threatening or that may form part of a pattern of harassment.
• Material that unfairly damages the reputation of a person, a business, or an organisation (sometimes called defamatory or libellous material).
• Material that it is against the law to publish.
• Any other material that would breach our House Rules.

You can find a link to report a request on every request page.

For FOI Officers and other employees of public authorities #

I would like to remove a message that is abusive, threatening or inappropriate #

We do not allow users to send messages that are unlawful, harassing, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, discriminatory, profane, defamatory or potentially defamatory. If you have received a message of this nature, please contact us. To enable us to assist you as quickly as possible, please include a link to the message or document where it appears on WhatDoTheyKnow or the unique email address that is associated with the request. Please see our House Rules for more information about what we expect from our users.

There has been a data breach, and I would like to remove personal information that has been released in error #

Please use our dedicated form to report a data breach. To enable us to act as quickly as possible, please include a link to the request, or the @whatdotheyknow.com email address that you sent your response to. If the accidentally released information was included in an attachment, please state this.

I would like my own personal information to be removed from requests and responses #

If you work for a public authority, and need to remove your personal details from responses that you’ve issued, please refer to our Privacy Notice.

We have received a vexatious request #

We remove vexatious requests from our site when they are brought to our attention. We consider that vexatious request is one that has no serious purpose, or is intended to be disruptive to the work of a public authority. In deciding whether a request is vexatious, we take into account the ICO’s guidance on vexatious requests. We will not treat a request as vexatious simply because the public authority has concluded that the request is vexatious.

I would like to update or remove an old or inaccurate FOI response #

As a permanent public archive of Freedom of Information requests and responses, we never remove material from the site just because it is old or because a newer version of the material exists.

We have changed our mind about information released in the past #

If you have released information which you now believe should have been withheld using one of the exemptions or exceptions within access to information law, please let us know. We will consider requests to remove information on a case-by-case basis. We will not usually remove information in this situation unless it is problematic.

For WhatDoTheyKnow Users #

I would like my own personal information to be removed from requests and responses #

We’re happy to consider your request, just contact us using our contact form. For more information about how we handle these types of requests, along with an explanation of your rights, please see our Privacy Notice.

I would like to change my username #

You can change your username by following the “Change your name” link from your user profile page. If you change your name, the name on your old requests won't change. When you send a request, we use the name you gave us. This makes it hard to stop your old and new names from being connected. This means your old name will still show up on requests that you've already sent and on your public profile page.

If you don't want your new name to be linked to your old one, it's a good idea to make a new account instead.

I would like to remove a request that I have made #

We don’t remove substantive FOI requests and responses other than in exceptional circumstances. This is because the information may be useful to others. We will however, consider requests to remove your name. For more information about how we handle these types of requests, along with an explanation of your rights, please see our Privacy Notice.

We don’t consider anonymised requests and responses to be users’ personal information which they have a right to have removed from our service on request.

For everyone else #

I would like my own personal information to be removed from requests and responses #

If your personal information has been published as part of a request or response to a request, please refer to our Privacy Notice.

I would like information about someone who has died to be removed from requests and responses #

If you would like to request the removal of information about someone who has died, please contact our support team. All requests to remove information in these circumstances will be treated sensitively and on a case-by-case basis.

Where information requests relate to individuals who have died, we have a presumption towards removing material on compassionate grounds where the request was made by a family member or friend who may not have fully considered the potential consequences of using our service.

I would like you to remove information that breaches my copyright #

While many responses are accompanied by a notice saying that the material provided is protected by copyright, we only consider taking content down following contact from someone raising specific concerns. If you believe that material we are publishing infringes your copyright, please contact us.

We believe that it is legitimate to request copyrighted material under access to information laws. Access to information laws are “applicant blind”, so anyone in the world can request the same document and get a copy of it. We want to save public money by preventing duplicate requests.

I would like you to remove commercially sensitive information #

If you would like us to remove information that is commercially sensitive please let us know. We would normally only remove such information where we are legally required to do so.