Does the Freedom of Information Act apply to personal data?
The Freedom of Information Act gives applicants the right to request information held by public authorities. It does not provide a right of access to personal information about you. If someone is requesting their personal data this should be handled as a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act. Specific guidance has been produced on personal information.
The Freedom of Information Act gives applicants the right to request information held by public authorities. It does not provide a right of access to personal information about you. If someone is requesting their personal data this should be handled as a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act. More can be found about this in our guidance. Some data about others may be available, however it must not contravene any of the data protection principles of the Data Protection Act.
