UK mulls FOI clampdown, citing security risks and soaring costs
Image: Mick Haupt@rocinante_11 via Unsplash
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests can be useful tools for journalists and researchers digging into matters of public interest that private companies or state entities would prefer to keep under wraps.
It is therefore alarming that government officials in the UK are raising concerns that intelligence agents from “hostile states” – notably China – could be using FOIs to gain access to sensitive information. The officials told the Financial Times they have picked up a pattern of FOI requests relating to defence and security matters, which pointed to the involvement of Beijing. FOI legislation requires the person requesting information to provide their real name and physical address, but proof of identity is not mandatory, making it possible for the requester to disguise who they are.
Although only unclassified material can be provided, the officials are worried that snippets could be pieced together to build a bigger picture that amounts to sensitive information.
FOI campaigners are rightly sceptical. They point out civil servants already block requests if they believe the information can be used to employ the “jigsaw effect” in areas affecting national security, such as defence, intelligence, law enforcement and even international relations. “They are very cautious,” Campaign for FOI director Maurice Frankel told the FT.
Of further concern, British officials are reportedly considering a clampdown on the FOI system, citing rising processing costs as the number of requests soar while budgets are being tightened. The FT reports that the number of FOI requests has almost doubled since 2022, with some officials favouring the use of AI to cut back on administration costs, while other fear this could lead to more requests being submitted.
Whether fears expressed by the officials that Chinese spies might be abusing FOI laws are justified or not, the fact that their concerns are being floated in the media at a time that budget constraints are under discussion does not auger well for ensuring that no unjustified limits are placed on the free flow of information. The first step should be to tighten loopholes allowing requesters to hide their identity, rather than risk rolling back on hard won transparency gains. The second, as Transparency UK has pointed out, is for the government to pre-empt FOI requests by analysing information most often sought, and publishing it proactively.
https://www.ft.com/content/2c34adca-1af3-41b9-a1b2-ccd1b8dac72e?syn-25a6b1a6=1
