Comments on: Networked journalism: distributed FoI requests http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/fleetstreet/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/ Signposts to journalism's future from Press Gazette Wed, 03 Dec 2008 21:18:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Martin Stabe » Crowdsourcing is ‘vexatious’ http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/fleetstreet/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/#comment-24397 Martin Stabe » Crowdsourcing is ‘vexatious’ Wed, 29 Nov 2006 09:03:24 +0000 http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/blog/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/#comment-24397 [...] In an earlier post, I predicted that the requests would be rejected on the FOIA’s “acting in concert” clause, which allows officials to treat requests from an organised campaign as if they were one request. A commenter suggested that the council might actually reject the request because it is “vexatious”. I thought that this was unlikely because the request(s) clearly had a serious purpose. [...] [...] In an earlier post, I predicted that the requests would be rejected on the FOIA’s “acting in concert” clause, which allows officials to treat requests from an organised campaign as if they were one request. A commenter suggested that the council might actually reject the request because it is “vexatious”. I thought that this was unlikely because the request(s) clearly had a serious purpose. [...]

]]> By: Martin Stabe http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/fleetstreet/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/#comment-23835 Martin Stabe Fri, 17 Nov 2006 19:39:01 +0000 http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/blog/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/#comment-23835 Steve, This is very true. However, I don't think use of the "vexatious" exemption would have much chance of standing up on appeal to the Information Commissioner in a case like this, where there clearly a serious attempt to obtain information. The issue here seems to be the time it would take for the council to complete the response to the request. Steve,

This is very true. However, I don’t think use of the “vexatious” exemption would have much chance of standing up on appeal to the Information Commissioner in a case like this, where there clearly a serious attempt to obtain information. The issue here seems to be the time it would take for the council to complete the response to the request.

]]> By: Steve Jones http://blogs.pressgazette.co.uk/fleetstreet/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/#comment-23827 Steve Jones Fri, 17 Nov 2006 15:55:35 +0000 http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/blog/2006/11/11/networked-journalism-distributed-foi-requests/#comment-23827 If a public authority has reason to believe that the requests have been submitted as part of a campaign designed primarily to cause it inconvenience, it may be able to refuse them because they are vexatious. If a public authority has reason to believe that the requests have been submitted as part of a campaign designed primarily to cause it inconvenience, it may be able to refuse them because they are vexatious.

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