One person submitted 527 FOI requests to the Scottish government in 2024
Well that’s one of the difficult things with freedom of information.
You make it open for anyone to ask anything, and let all the cranks and vexatious requesters ask things that consume a disproportionate amount of time and effort to answer.
Or you restrict the number of queries that someone can make, or who is allowed to make queries, which then contradicts the entire principle of freedom of information.
Double-edged sword – it allows journalists to expose lies, but also allows sovereigncitizens to waste public resources.
With sufficient digitisation of governmental business, it might be possible to use an electronic tool to find information with minimal effort, making it easier/faster/cheaper to fulfil FOI requests. Which in the modern times likely means using an AI, which has its own problems.
Or you do everything with a human at the controls, which means keeping a number of staff dedicated to answering FOI requests in the hope that the cranks and vexatious requesters eventually get bored and find something else to amuse themselves with. Which is not the most productive use of public resources.
So 1 individual submitted 10% of all requests. Bet it was Sam Taylor.
An MSP in Aberdeen made 527
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the Scottish Government in 2024, according to the Scottish Government. This individual submitted the most FOl requests among all requesters to the Scottish Government during that period. The Scottish Government does not track the time spent processing these requests as it’s part of officials’ regular duties. o
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One person submitted 527 FOI requests to the Scottish government in 2024
Well that’s one of the difficult things with freedom of information.
You make it open for anyone to ask anything, and let all the cranks and vexatious requesters ask things that consume a disproportionate amount of time and effort to answer.
Or you restrict the number of queries that someone can make, or who is allowed to make queries, which then contradicts the entire principle of freedom of information.
Double-edged sword – it allows journalists to expose lies, but also allows sovereigncitizens to waste public resources.
With sufficient digitisation of governmental business, it might be possible to use an electronic tool to find information with minimal effort, making it easier/faster/cheaper to fulfil FOI requests. Which in the modern times likely means using an AI, which has its own problems.
Or you do everything with a human at the controls, which means keeping a number of staff dedicated to answering FOI requests in the hope that the cranks and vexatious requesters eventually get bored and find something else to amuse themselves with. Which is not the most productive use of public resources.
So 1 individual submitted 10% of all requests. Bet it was Sam Taylor.
An MSP in Aberdeen made 527
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the Scottish Government in 2024, according to the Scottish Government. This individual submitted the most FOl requests among all requesters to the Scottish Government during that period. The Scottish Government does not track the time spent processing these requests as it’s part of officials’ regular duties. o
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