The Freedom of Information Act 2000 finally came fully into force at the start of this month.
The purpose of this post is just to provide a short reminder to fellow bloggers considering publishing information they have obtained via the provisions of the Act that the public authorities which provide the information are protected – to a much greater extent than individuals – from legal actions based on breach of copyright and defamation.
Bloggers are not.
Information may now be more freely available but the fact that it has been provided by a public body – which can’t be sued except in exceptional circumstances – does not guarantee the same exemption for bloggers who publish it.
Let’s be careful out there.