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diff --git a/app/views/help/privacy.rhtml b/app/views/help/privacy.rhtml new file mode 100644 index 000000000..3c09e87bc --- /dev/null +++ b/app/views/help/privacy.rhtml @@ -0,0 +1,160 @@ +<% @title = "Privacy policy" %> + +<%= render :partial => 'sidebar' %> + +<h1 id="privacy"><%= @title %> <a href="#privacy">#</a> </h1> + +<dl> + +<dt id="email_address">Who gets to see my email address? <a href="#email_address">#</a> </dt> + +<dd><p>We will not disclose your email address to anyone unless we are obliged to by law, +or you ask us to. This includes the public authority that you are sending a +request to. They only get to see an email address +@whatdotheyknow.com which is specific to that request. </p> +<p>If you send a message to another user on the site, then it will reveal your +email address to them. You will be told that this is going to happen.</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="nasty_spam">Will you send nasty, brutish spam to my email address? <a href="#nasty_spam">#</a> </dt> +<dd>Nope. After you sign up to WhatDoTheyKnow we will only send you emails +relating to a request you made, an email alert that you have signed up for, +or for other reasons that you specifically authorise. We will never give or +sell your email addresses to anyone else, unless we are obliged to by law, or +you ask us to. +</dd> + +<dt id="public_request">Why will my name and my request appear publicly on the site? <a href="#public_request">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> +<p>We publish your request on the Internet so that anybody can read it and +make use of the information that you have found. We do not normally delete +requests (<a href="#delete_requests">more details</a>). +</p> +<p> +Your name is tangled up with your request, so has to be published as well. +It is only fair, as we're going to publish the name of the civil servant who +writes the response to your request. Using your real name also helps people +get in touch with you to assist you with your research or to campaign with you. +</p> +<p>By law, you must use your real name for the request to be a valid Freedom of +Information request. See the next question for alternatives if you do not want +to publish your full name. +</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="real_name">Can I make an FOI request using a pseudonym? <a href="#real_name">#</a> </dt> + + +<dd> +<p>Technically, you must use your real name for your request to be a valid Freedom of Information request in law. See this +<a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/detailed_specialist_guides/name_of_applicant_fop083_v1.pdf">guidance from the Information Commissioner</a> (January 2009). +</p> + +<p>However, the same guidance also says it is good practice for the public +authority to still consider a request made using an obvious pseudonym. +You should refer to this if a public authority refuses a request because you +used a pseudonym.</p> + +<p>Be careful though, even if the authority follows this good practice, the +pseudonym will probably make it impossible for you to complain to the +Information Commissioner later about the handling of your request. +</p> + +<p>There are several good alternatives to using a pseudonym.</p> + +<ul> +<li>Use a different form of your name. The guidance says +that "Mr Arthur Thomas Roberts" can make a valid request as "Arthur Roberts", +"A. T. Roberts", or "Mr Roberts", but <strong>not</strong> as "Arthur" or "A.T.R.". +</li> +<li>Women may use their maiden name.</li> +<li>In most cases, you may use any name by which you are "widely known and/or +is regularly used". +<li>Use the name of an organisation, the name of a company, the trading name of +a company, or the trading name of a sole trader. +<li>Ask someone else to make the request on your behalf. +<li>You may, if you are really stuck, ask us to make the request on +your behalf. Please <a href="/help/contact">contact us</a> with +a good reason why you cannot make the request yourself and cannot +ask a friend to. We don't have the resources to do this for everyone. +</ul> + +<p>Please do not try to impersonate someone else.</p> + +</dd> + +<dt id="delete_requests">Can you delete my requests, or alter my name? <a href="#delete_requests">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> + +<p>WhatDoTheyKnow is a permanent, public archive of Freedom of +Information requests. Even though you may not find the response to +a request useful any more, it may be of interest to others. For this +reason, we will not delete requests. +</p> + +<p>Under exceptional circumstances we may remove or change your name +on the website, following similar policy as for the names of +public servants (<a href="/help/officers#takedown">see here</a>). +Similarly, we may also remove other personal information. +</p> + +<p>If you're worried about this before you make your request, +see the section on <a href="#real_name">pseudonyms</a>.</p> + +</dd> + + +<dt id="full_address">They've asked for my postal address! <a href="#full_address">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> +<p>If a public authority asks you for your full, physical address, reply to them saying +that section 8.1.b of the FOI Act asks for an "address for correspondence", +and that the email address you are using is sufficient. +</p> +<p> +The Ministry of Justice has <a href="http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/foi-procedural-what.htm">guidance +on this</a> – +<em>"As well as hard copy written correspondence, requests that are +transmitted electronically (for example, in emails) are acceptable +... If a request is received by email and no postal address is given, the email +address should be treated as the return address." +</em> +</p> +<p>As if that isn't enough, the Information Commissioner's +<a href="http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/library/freedom_of_information/practical_application/foi_hints_for_practitioners_handing_foi_and_eir_requests_2008_final.pdf">Hints for Practitioners</a> say +<em>"Any correspondence could include a request for information. If it is written (this includes e-mail), legible, gives the name of the applicant, an address for reply (which could be electronic), and includes a description of the information required, then it will fall within the scope of the legislation."</em> +</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="postal_answer">No no, they need a postal address to send a paper response! <a href="#postal_answer">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> +<p>If an authority only has a paper copy of the information that you want, +they may ask you for a postal address. To start with, try persuading them +to scan in the documents for you. You can even <a href="http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/car_parking_charges_policy_and_a#outgoing-532">offer to gift them a scanner</a>, which in that particular case +embarrassed the authority into finding one they had already.</p> + +<p>If that doesn't work, and you want to provide your postal address privately +in order to receive the documents, mark your request as "They are going to reply by post", and it will +give you an email address to use for that purpose.</p> +</dd> + +<dt id="moderation">How do you moderate request annotations? <a href="#moderation">#</a> </dt> + +<dd> +<p>Annotations on WhatDoTheyKnow are to help +people get the information they want, or to give them pointers to places they +can go to help them act on it. We reserve the right to remove anything else. +</p> +<p>Endless, political discussions are not allowed. +Post a link to a suitable forum or campaign site elsewhere.</p> +<dd> + +</dl> + + +<div id="hash_link_padding"></div> + + |