Please provide copies of briefing summaries for the past three months made by the COI Media Monitoring Unit which reference the political blog iaindale.blogspot.com (Iain Dale)I also sent one requesting copies of breifing summaries referncing Guido as well. For pure vanity reasons I asked about myself as well as I needed to have my ego shattered. However the CoI hasn't provided any meaningful information in response, they said,
I am writing to advise you that the Department has decided not to disclose the information you requested on 25th October 2007.Great response huh? They've rather cleverly exploited a whole in my question and assumed that I want the content of what might have come from a blog rather than simply wanting to know when blogs might have been included in summaries. Guess I should change the question, any suggestions greatly welcomed.
The Media Monitoring Unit does not normally monitor blogs. Any extracts from blogs that may from time to time be picked up are already freely available in the public domain, and as a result are exempt from disclosure under Section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act - Information accessible by other means.
PDF response
11 comments:
Ask them to send the tax details of the entire population. I'm sure they'd be a bit more accommodating (if not Johnny the Post Boy (and future scapegoat) will gladly help)
Dell do this as well. You blog something negative about Dell and see what happens, within a few days you get a Delldroid comment.
My Dell laptop is just fine.
They haven't responded to your question which is about the information they have added by in monitoring the blogs. This information includes:
1) What to report and what to leave out.
2) Subject to report on.
3) The summaries made - or section quote verbatum.
4) Which blogs are monitored and how.
There defence doesn't therefore apply and is probably a breach of the freedom of information act.
Which begs the question - what are they hiding ? Could this monitoring be used for politician rather than government purposes ?
Since most Labour ministers don't seem to know the difference my guess is yet.
I would ask the question again and explain why their answer does not comply with the law.
Maybe you could ask them initially just for a list of the names of blogs that have been monitored.
They would have no grounds not to reveal what sites they have been browsing and they would have records of the browsing activity.
I think you can reasonably be accused of wasting taxpayers money.
Why?
I actually think there is a plublic interest in the blogs that are monitored. Shall probably change the question to ask for a list of those which are monitored from "time to time"
(Dizzy do you think that the anonymong comment posted at 1:47 was from somebody from the MMU monitoring your blog?)
Dear Anon,
Dizzy was trying to hold our secretive and wasteful government to account through the proper channels, I therefore think you can reasonably be accused of being full of shit.
Regards,
John
Anon obviously doesn't care that an organisation with 4 armed or partially armed wings (and vast other resources)could be monitoring his/her every move.
Diz,
They didn't exploit anything IMV.
Thank them and let them know they haven't actually provided the information requested but you understand its an obvious oversight so you look forward to receiving the information requested as soon as practically possible. Tell them what you need is any briefing content, whether prepared in the course of normal working practice or incidentally, which are connected in any way to [blog]and [blogger].
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