Category Archives: Information Commissioner

Ethical Journalistic Treatment of the Randi Harper Patreon Leak

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The Witchfinder ponders the most morally appropriate way to handle the leaked list of extremist online bully and admitted drug abuser Randi Harper’s supporters.

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Randi Harper admits to the leak of her donors on Twitter. Face blanked out for ethical reasons.

This is a brief trailer for a longer article. It is now well known that the complete list of Randi Harper’s donors has been leaked online by unknown third parties. Indeed it has been admitted by Harper herself (archive here). Your author in no way endorses hacking or other illegal activities and will not be publishing the whole list as this would be irresponsible.

Online leaks of the membership or supporters lists of extremists groups are nothing new. In 2009 the members list of British far right political party the ‘British National Party’ was leaked online and placed on WikiLeaks.

Given Harper’s extremist online behaviour, such as releasing people’s private contact details (doxing) and other forms of abuse, well documented by the journalists at Breitbart and blogger the Ralph Retort, many legitimate journalistic concerns may arise about those who support her – Continue reading →

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Wikimedia UK Response to Shapps – Claims to Have Destroyed the Evidence

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In a recent article I revealed that after being wrongly accused of sock-puppetry and backstabbing colleagues by Richard Symonds, a staffer at Wikimedia UK, British MP Grant Shapps had served a disclosure request under the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). Shapps has had a response, of sorts. It makes grim reading.

The great thing about data protection requests? They are not litigation correspondence, they are not subject to the implied undertaking / CPR 31.22 and they do not usually engage a duty of confidentiality. Other parties may not ordinarily impose a duty of confidence on documents disclosed under a statutory duty. So we can start by sharing this little gem –

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What sort of organisation fails to retain legally sensitive materials like allegations against Cabinet ministers?

According to Wikimedia UK Symonds has deleted his email to the Guardian ‘in the normal course of business’. This is a very concerning statement. Most organisations have clear data retention policies. Does Wikimedia have no such policy or does it not follow it? Does it really manage personal data so poorly? Another concern is that most organisations have email backups. Does Wikimedia or its provider not back up its email server? That is a serious governance concern.

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Vindicator – BBC in Humiliating Apology to Grant Shapps MP as Clouds Gather Around Wikipedia

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Following recent ArbCom findings exonerating Grant Shapps the BBC has apologised over its lacklustre coverage. Furthermore, the Witchfinder can exclusively reveal that Shapps has now written to Wikipedia’s UK chapter, the charity Wikimedia United Kingdom (WMUK), formally demanding disclosure of documents and expressing concerns about the charity’s political involvement. At the same time, a number of other powerful institutions are expressing frustration over legitimate concerns about bias, harassment and ineptitude at the encylopaedia.

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Ominous clouds are gathering around the embattled online encyclopaedia as powerful and aggrieved individuals and institutions queue up to vent their frustrations. Clouds picture via Dreamstime. Wikipedia logo via CC BY-SA 3.0 and Wikipedia Trademark Policy

The BBC, which spent a whole day on Grant Shapps’ alleged editing of Wikipedia, was curiously less forthcoming on apologising – leaving Shapps with legitimate complaint. It is a foolish move for an institution whose very existence is under threat to alienate its few allies. Shapps, now the Minister of State for International Development, is one of the minority of Conservatives who does not favour the BBC’s abolition.

Mr Shapps is also not the only public figure with grievances about the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. He finds himself in company with left-wing journalist David Auerbach, right-wing media organisation Breitbart and the enormous consumer movement known as #GamerGate – one of whose forums KotakuInAction alone now boasts over 40,000 members and whose key figures like SargonOfAkkad have hundreds of thousands of followers.

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ICO Update

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Your author was actually going to issue Court proceedings today in the County Court for a Small Claim against James Billingham. I have no idea why he thinks I have dropped matters as I said the exact reverse. Before issuing the claim form I had contacted the police and offered the opportunity to object but they had not done so. In fact they have been very reasonable.

UPDATE – 11/04/2015 – So last night a DS from Hampshire phoned me. She said that Mr Billingham had never, in fact, made a statement – so his claims about an ongoing investigation and the police agreeing with him or whatever up until now are in fact factually incorrect. Mr Billingham has been invited to make a statement so the police can then investigate or alternatively, decide there is no case to answer.

But then … chasing the Information Commissioners Office … I discovered that the wheels of bureaucracy have been turning and the ICO have now allocated an officer to investigate 🙂 . I was able to get hold of them for a brief chat and to provide some further information.

We also briefly discussed the various defences advanced by the Block Bot. Obviously, the officer is quite rightly still forming a view but I can say I am very happy with what I was told and that they have moved other things aside to ensure this is looked into properly. So I think now things are moving I can wait a few weeks more. This, I suspect, will be amusing …

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The Block Bot Fact Checked

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In the wake of recent humiliating revelations that the Block Bot has been blocking celebrities like Professor Richard Dawkins their team have been spinning desperately. The Witchfinder reviews and clarifies their claims as needed.

The Claim – Barack Obama is Not on the Block Bot

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Obama is Not Blocked … Anymore.

True … now … but that has never been the allegation. The allegation in my article was that ‘Barack Obama was on at one point’, as this archive demonstrates. Barack Obama was listed in the Block Bot as Level 1 … the “Worst of the Worst”.

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Barack Obama! Level 1 Troll. “The Worst of the Worst” … According to the Block Bot.

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Aggravating Ignorance

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The Witchfinder points out some potential flaws in the Block Bot team’s reasoning, in light of their claims that hosting data abroad makes them immune from UK Data Protection legislation.

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The Block Bot thinks being abroad makes them immune.

Your author will be brief. Some members of the Block Bot team advance the idea that holding the data abroad makes them immune from UK Data Protection law. Funnily enough, UK legislators thought of that.

The Data Protection Act 1998, Schedule 1, provides as follows –

“[…] 8 Personal data shall not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data.“

Now, Block Bot creator James Billingham and for that matter the blocker who added me are based in the UK (although the latter has now resigned). So if they decide to block someone, where is the data? Well they have to write it down on a computer or similar device such as a mobile phone, based wherever they are.

Q. If someone types data into the Twitter client on a mobile phone in the UK, before they click ‘send’ where is the data?

A. In the mobile phone’s memory, in the UK.

Q. If someone types data into the Twitter website on a PC in the UK, before they click ‘send’ where is the data?

A. In the PC’s memory, in the UK.

Q. When they click send what happens?

A. The data is transmitted to the Twitter servers in the United States, thereby transferring it outside the EEA.

 What does the ICO Guidance, here say?

“You will be processing personal data in the UK and transferring it even if:

you collect information relating to individuals on paper, which is not ordered or structured in any way; and”

and

“Putting personal data on a website will often result in transfers to countries outside the EEA.”

The Claimant rests. (If someone junior from the Information Commissioner’s Officer went along with the ‘abroad’ argument we would only escalate it and ask them to clarify).

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BlockBot Busted? Front Page Rewrite and a Resignation for a Block Bot Team in Disarray

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It has been a busy week for the Block Bot. A front page rewrite, a resignation and more troubles to come … The Witchfinder explains the possible legal consequences of running an enormous public blacklist.

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These are some utterly false allegations about Richard Dawkins hosted in the database on Sarah Noble’s site. She needs urgent legal advice.

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