How LEAT decides what it can release

LEAT can be asked for records by a donor, by a member of the public, by somebody asking what LEAT holds about them, or by a court.

What happens

1. LEAT checks who is asking and what they are entitled to. This step is separate and it always happens.
2. Legal or the Data Protection Officer decides what applies, and what may be withheld.
3. A reproducible search is run and recorded, so it can be checked afterwards.
4. Each document is decided on individually, including the ones that are withheld.
5. Anything that needs redacting is redacted irreversibly, then checked to make sure nothing survived.
6. The package is approved by somebody other than the person who prepared it.

Why redaction takes a step of its own

Because a black box drawn over text usually leaves the text in the file. LEAT produces a genuinely redacted copy and then checks the result before anything is released. A copy that has not passed that check cannot go out, and one failure stops the whole package.

What you receive

A link that expires, is tied to you, can be used a limited number of times and can be withdrawn. There is no permanent link, and forwarding the link does not give somebody else access.

What LEAT will not tell you

Whether a document exists that you are not entitled to see. A refusal and "there is nothing" look the same on purpose, because the difference between them is itself information.

If you disagree

A refusal is a decision and it can be appealed. The appeal is recorded against the original so both are on the file.