'Mickey Mouse' FOI bids refused

The information commissioner will not accept appeals from pseudonyms

Freedom of Information complaints from "Mickey Mouse" or "Mrs Sue D Nym" will not be accepted by the information commissioner, new guidance says.

Public bodies like councils are also advised they can reject requests from people using "obvious pseudonyms".

But they should consider whether they are happy to release the details anyway, in the spirit of "disclosure to the world at large".

The commissioner's office recommends a "low key approach" to confirming names.

Anyone requesting information must give their name and "an address for correspondence", under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.

The ICO itself will not be dealing with complaints that come from known pseudonyms and false names Information Commissioner's Office

In new guidance published on Tuesday, the Information Commissioner's Office suggests ways of determining "what constitutes a real name".

For example, Mr Arthur Thomas Roberts could satisfy the requirements of the FOI Act by calling himself Arthur Roberts, A T Roberts or Mr Roberts but not by simply signing off "Arthur", or "A T R".

The main thing is that the person has given "a reasonable indication" of their identity.

But public bodies are well within their rights to turn down requests from obvious pseudonyms, it says.

Minority of people

And, it adds: "The ICO itself will not be dealing with complaints that come from known pseudonyms and false names such as Mickey Mouse or Mrs Sue D Nym."

The commissioner's office urges authorities to "apply common sense" and remember that one of the principles of the FOI Act is that the identity of the person requesting information should not be taken into account.

But it says it is relevant in some cases - such as where a person is requesting information relating to them, which comes under data protection laws or if there is a suspicion people are making "vexatious or repeated" requests.

However it urges a low key approach and says bodies should "not seek proof of the applicant's identity as a matter of course".

"The default position of a public authority should be to accept the name provided by the applicant unless there is good reason to inquire further about the applicant's name," it says.

The ICO says only a minority of people use pseudonyms and sometimes it may make sense to release the information anyway, if they are happy to do so, in line with the general principle of the FOI Act of "disclosure to the world at large".

The guidance also says that emails are acceptable as an "address for correspondence" without having to include a postal address.