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Private eye

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19 May 2011 / Tom Morrison
Issue: 7466 / Categories: Features , Data protection , Freedom of Information
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Tom Morrison kicks off his quarterly review of the world of information law

We are all interested in what happens to our own information—how it is used, to whom it is given and how it is kept secure—and we want to know more about how well public authorities are being run. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair may regret it now, but when he came good on New Labour’s manifesto commitment to put the Freedom of Information Act on the statute books he set in train a series of events that would change the expectations of ordinary Joe Public forever. There is no turning back: data protection and freedom of information are here to stay. It will never be a vote-winner for any mainstream political party to pledge to reduce the protection afforded to individuals’ personal information, nor will it be popular to campaign on a promise to remove the rights of citizens to access information about how money is being spent in their name.

The regulatory noose has been tightening for some time to

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