Use of Social Media Data to conduct age assessments
Dear Sir/Madame,
This request relates to the use of social media data by local authorities and/or entities carrying out public functions on behalf of local authorities to conduct age assessments.
We aware of the increasing prevalence of the use of social media intelligence within central and local government for a wide variety of purposes.
For example, in 2020 Privacy International published research highlighting the use of social media intelligence (SOCMINT) by local authorities. Our report (https://privacyinternational.org/report/...) disclosed that local authorities are looking at people's social media accounts, as part of their intelligence gathering and investigation tactics in areas such as council tax payments, children’s services, benefits and monitoring of protests and demonstrations.
This year, we have become aware that local government authorities are collecting personal data from individuals' social media accounts, and using this as evidence in the course of age verification hearings for asylum seekers (https://tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.u...). Local Authorities are requesting access to log in details (usernames and passwords) to social media accounts, as well as downloads of full histories of Facebook activities (which is only accessible to users when logged in)(https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho...). This has also included data from personal messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
In light of the above information, we request the following information by way of a Freedom of Information Act request:
1. Please inform us if, further to a court order and/or Home Office instruction, you have conducted a review of an individual's social media or other communications or downloaded data for the purposes of an age assessment in the immigration context.
2. (a) Please confirm whether the individual is always present when the review is conducted and
(b) whether they are accompanied by their legal representative or an appropriate adult.
3. Please clarify if you record these requests in such a way that you can give figures for the amount of age assessments conducted by your local authority that involve reviews of social media or other communications or downloading of data. If you do record them in a way that means you can provide figures, please confirm the number of age assessments conducted that involve a review of an individual's social media in the last 12 months.
4. Please could you provide us with the relevant guidance and/or policy in relation to these requests for age assessments that involve reviews of social media or other communications or downloading data.
5. Please can you provide us with a copy of the Data Protection Impact Assessment if you have conducted one (DPIA).
6. Please confirm the legal basis you rely upon when seeking to obtain disclosure of social media and messenger (such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messanger, Viber etc) log in details or other communications for age assessment for immigration purposes.
7. Please provide us with any training materials relevant to the above issues.
If you are unclear on what we are asking or require us to reduce the number of questions to enable you to respond please let us know.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours faithfully,
Nour Haidar
Privacy International
Freedom of Information Request – REF: GFOI-021254
Dear Customer,
Thank you for contacting Gravesham Borough Council. This response is to
acknowledge your email has been received. If this is an initial request
for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or Environmental
Information Regulations 2004, you can expect to receive a response within
20 working days.
If your email relates to a current request for information, your email
will be forwarded to the relevant case officer.
Should your email be because you are dissatisfied with the way we have
processed your request the Council has an internal review process and your
email will be forwarded to the Information Governance Team for review, you
should receive a response within 20 working days.
If you remain dissatisfied you have the right to appeal to the Information
Commissioners' Office (ICO) [1]www.ico.org.uk/concerns.
Stephen Williams
Information Governance Officer
Legal Services - Medway Council & Gravesham Borough Council
Tel: 01634 335143
Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4RT
Check out the ICO guidance on Information Sharing Agreements
I am currently working from home Mon –Fri.
This Email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted
information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly.
Nothing in this email message amounts to a contractual or other legal
commitment on the part of Medway Council and Gravesham Borough Council. If
this Email has been misdirected, please notify the author immediately. If
you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute,
copy, print or rely on any of the information contained in it or attached,
and all copies must be deleted immediately.
Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any software viruses,
any attachments to this Email may nevertheless contain viruses which our
anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should therefore carry out
your own anti-virus checks before opening any documents. Medway Council
and Gravesham Borough Council will not accept any liability for damage
caused by computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document
supplied with this e-mail.
All Medway Council and Gravesham Borough Council and PSN traffic may be
subject to recording and / or monitoring in accordance with relevant
legislation.
Our Ref: DocumentOwner\GFOI-021254\DocumentRef
Freedom of Information Request - REF: GFOI012XXX
Dear Customer,
Further to your request for information under the above act, I can advise you that the information you requested is not held by this authority. Gravesham Borough Council is not the responsible Authority for this area.
Kent County Council is the Authority responsible for these services and may hold the information you are seeking. If you have not already done so, then you may wish to write to them at:
Kent County Council
Stephen Williams
Information Governance Officer
Legal Services - Medway Council & Gravesham Borough Council
Tel: 01634 335143
Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, ME4 4RT
Check out the ICO guidance on Information Sharing Agreements
I am currently working from home Mon -Fri.
This Email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and should be handled accordingly.
Nothing in this email message amounts to a contractual or other legal commitment on the part of Medway Council and Gravesham Borough Council. If this Email has been misdirected, please notify the author immediately. If you are not the intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely on any of the information contained in it or attached, and all copies must be deleted immediately.
Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any software viruses, any attachments to this Email may nevertheless contain viruses which our anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should therefore carry out your own anti-virus checks before opening any documents. Medway Council and Gravesham Borough Council will not accept any liability for damage caused by computer viruses emanating from any attachment or other document supplied with this e-mail.
All Medway Council and Gravesham Borough Council and PSN traffic may be subject to recording and / or monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.
Our Ref: DocumentOwner\GFOI-021254\DocumentRef
Dear Nour Haidar,
Please find attached the response to your recent Freedom of Information
request.
Should you have any further enquiries about this request, please send all
correspondence to [Gravesham Borough Council request email].
Regards,
Darren Everden
Assistant Director (IT and Transformation)
Armed Forces Champion and Covenant Lead
IT Services
Gravesham Borough Council
Tel. 01474 33 72 40
e-mail. [1][email address]
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[3]Graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message
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This Email, and any attachments, may contain Protected or Restricted
information and is intended solely for the individual to whom it is
addressed. It may contain sensitive or protectively marked material and
should be handled accordingly.
Nothing in this email message amounts to a contractual or other legal
commitment on the part of Gravesham Borough Council. If this Email has
been misdirected, please notify the author immediately. If you are not the
intended recipient you must not disclose, distribute, copy, print or rely
on any of the information contained in it or attached, and all copies must
be deleted immediately.
Whilst we take reasonable steps to try to identify any software viruses,
any attachments to this Email may nevertheless contain viruses which our
anti-virus software has failed to identify. You should therefore carry out
your own anti-virus checks before opening any documents. Gravesham Borough
Council will not accept any liability for damage caused by computer
viruses emanating from any attachment or other document supplied with this
e-mail.
All Gravesham Borough Council and PSN traffic may be subject to recording
and / or monitoring in accordance with relevant legislation.
References
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