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owenboswarva.bsky.social
Owen Boswarva
@owenboswarva.bsky.social
2.4K followers 2.1K following 2.8K posts
A mix of stuff: mainly #opendata, #dataprotection, #geospatial, #datapolicy, #ddj, #genAI, #govtech. Links and half-formed thoughts posted for my own amusement. Still on Twitter at @owenboswarva. Sites: www.owenboswarva.com and www.datadaptive.com. He/him.
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owenboswarva.bsky.social
Yay more #openaddresses:

City of Wolverhampton Council, in the West Midlands of England, has released its Council Tax address list as open data www.owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...

Thx @wolvescouncil.bsky.social!

I've made a nice geocoded version too

#FOI #localgov #UKhousing #proptech #opendata
Screenshot of sample of City of Wolverhampton Council's Council Tax address data, visualised in Google Earth
November 28, 2025 at 7:13 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Government spend data, transactions over £25,000:

● Cabinet Office, April 2010 - October 2025 drive.google.com/uc?export=do... (3.5 MB XLSX)
● Department for Education (DfE), April 2010 - September 2025 drive.google.com/uc?export=do... (52.6 MB zipped CSV)

#publicspending #opengov #opendata
November 28, 2025 at 6:24 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
I am interested to note that the UK's online regulator Ofcom considers information published on archive​.today to be "reasonably accessible" within the meaning of section 21 of the FOI Act www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/cens...

Okay to use then?

#FOI #webarchiving #openweb #censorship #techpolicy
Our response 1. Copy of the letter that was sent to GAB and reasons why this letter was sent We consider that the first half of the letter has been partly disclosed on the following website https://archive.md/RV5tz and therefore consider that this is publicly available information which is therefore exempt from disclosure under section 21 of the FOI Act. For the second half of the letter and for the reasons why this letter was sent, we can confirm that we hold this information in response to the request.
November 27, 2025 at 2:03 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Postcodes in Polygon: an #opendata tool from my Datadaptive side project – draw a shape on a map, get a list of postcodes www.datadaptive.com/pip/ (Great Britain only)

Now updated with postcode data from the latest release of the ONS Postcode Directory (November 2025)
Screenshot of Datadaptive's Postcodes in Polygon tool
November 27, 2025 at 8:20 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Not sure this helps? The suffragettes were proper bombers and arsonists, with the odd assassination attempt mixed in – UK Labour would have proscribed them too
November 26, 2025 at 10:29 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
What if I print out the doc and go over it with a thick black marker and then scan it in again #FOI #realstories
November 26, 2025 at 9:11 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
I see a Trump guy was caught doing diplomacy and the tape leaked, looks bad for them
November 26, 2025 at 8:57 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
The UK Government's #digitalID scheme "is provisionally forecast to cost £1.8 billion in total over the next three years", according to OBR obr.uk/efo/economic...

Fair question from Commons SITC chair @chionwurah.bsky.social MP … committees.parliament.uk/committee/13...

#govtech #vfm #opengov
"The accompanying OBR forecast also estimated that that the government's digital ID scheme is forecast to cost £1.8 billion over the next three years. This comes only a week after the committee was told by the Minister for Digital Government that it wasn't yet possible to assess the cost. Why have we been told two different things? At a time of tight public finances, the OBR has also called the scheme "unfunded." Given how important the digital transformation of public services like digital ID are to the government’s agenda, its concerning there is a real lack of transparency and clarity over its costs and benefits."
November 26, 2025 at 8:43 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Huge surge in children with little or no language skills
www.thetimes.com/uk/education... (£)

Concerning – they can't all become Murdoch columnists
November 26, 2025 at 8:24 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Latest UK #openaddresses:

Barnet Council in London has released its Council Tax address list as open data www.owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...

(This local authority refused to disclose the corresponding UPRNs – dubious reasons – so there's no geocoded version this time)

#FOI #opendata
November 26, 2025 at 8:03 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Standing offer: if you maintain the LLPG at a UK council and think the address records are Authority Owned Data rather than Supplied Data (iykyk), email me at [email protected]. I will try to unlock the address data legally using FOI + RPSI regs, and forget your name.

#opendata #openaddresses
November 26, 2025 at 7:13 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
London councils endure wave of cyber attacks, shared IT services hit www.computerweekly.com/news/3666350...

But Hackney says it's unaffected news.hackney.gov.uk/news/hackney...

K&C, Westminster, H&F reportedly share IT infrastructure www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

#localgov #cybersecurity
Four London councils have been cyber attacked over the past few days. Kensington and Chelsea; Hackney; Westminster; and Hammersmith and Fulham have all experienced IT system problems, and some services to the public have been affected, including phone line services. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster City Council issued a statement yesterday, confirming they were responding to a security issue.
November 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
OBR apologises for leak, tee-hee, as MPs scroll through details of the Budget while waiting for Reeves to announce them in the House www.bbc.com/news/article... #govcomms #infosec #clownshow
November 26, 2025 at 5:39 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
More #openaddresses:

Buckinghamshire Council in South East England has released its Council Tax address list as open data owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...

No geocoded version this time, as sadly the UPRNs are missing for most of the records. (I've asked the Council to investigate.)

#FOI #opendata
November 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK House of Commons: @commonsproccom.parliament.uk has launched an inquiry undertaking a detailed review of Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs) committees.parliament.uk/committee/12...

Find written questions and answers questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-ques...

#opengov #FOI -relevant
The inquiry will focus on: ● The purpose and value of a WPQ for MPs and their staff, and whether this has changed over time ● The interaction between WPQ and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and any other recent changes that have impacted on the ability of MPs to gain access to the same, or similar, information via other methods ● The limits on the number of WPQ that MPs can submit on any given day, and whether they are comparable with the rules in place in other legislatures ● Whether the internal House of Commons processes and procedures, and those in Government Departments, for processing and dealing with WPQs are working effectively and efficiently
November 24, 2025 at 9:13 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
I really wouldn't read too much into this, Kendall is just vamping. UK Labour will keep playing hot potato with the AI copyright policy conundrum as long as it can www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Consultation launched last year www.gov.uk/government/c...

#genAI #IPlaw #techpolicy
The technology secretary, Liz Kendall, has indicated she is sympathetic to artists' demands not to have their copyrighted works scraped by AI companies without payment and said she wanted to "reset" the debate. In remarks that suggest a change in approach from her predecessor, Peter Kyle, who had hoped to require artists to actively opt out of having their work ingested by generative AI systems, she said "people rightly want to get paid for the work that they do" and "we have to find a way that both sectors can grow and thrive in future". The government has been consulting on a new intellectual property framework for AI which, in the case of the most common large language models (LLMs), requires vast amounts of training data to work effectively.
November 24, 2025 at 8:38 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
70+ organisations and experts demand action over failing ICO www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releas...

Letter calls for an inquiry into "collapse in enforcement activity" at UK Information Commissioner's Office www.openrightsgroup.org/app/uploads/...

#Afghandatabreach #dataprotection #lackofgumption
Parliament has given the ICO considerable powers not to politely hope for the best, but to enforce compliance with legally binding orders. As we heard from the public hearing you hosted, the ICO chose not to use these powers to address the Afghan data breach, a decision strenuously defended by the Information Commissioner. Unfortunately, the Afghan data breach is not an isolated incident, but the symptom of deeper structural failures which are emerging in the way the ICO operates. The recent call for views on enforcement procedural guidance "aims to increase transparency" about how the ICO investigates infringements, but does not change or even leave room to question the ICO overall approach to enforcement.
November 24, 2025 at 8:09 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK ministers' criminal records can stay secret, rules watchdog www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art... (£)

ICO decision notice ico.org.uk/action-weve-...

#FOI #opengov #dataprotection
In a decision notice, the ICO accepted the Cabinet Office's claim that disclosing the number of ministers who declared convictions could create a "jigsaw" effect through repeated requests identifying individual ministers. It argued that, hypothetically, if one minister resigned after the Cabinet Office had previously disclosed at least one minister had declared a conviction, and a follow-up request then revealed no ministers in post had a conviction, the resigned minister could be exposed.
November 24, 2025 at 7:54 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
If social media is dead why are governments around the world trying so hard to stop kids from using it?

Social media isn't all about the gratifications of posting. Maybe the experiences of a middle-aged Times columnist and her friend group aren't representative?
thetimes.com The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 4d
‘Everyone is scared that something they share might attract the attention of social media’s angry hordes, always ready to accuse on X, Facebook and Instagram’ | ✍️ Caitlin Moran
Social media is dead — none of my friends are posting any more
‘Everyone is scared that something they share might attract the attention of social media’s angry hordes, always ready to accuse on X, Facebook and Instagram’
www.thetimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:27 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) spend data April 2010 - September 2025 drive.google.com/uc?export=do... (55.6 MB zipped XLSX)

#publicspending #opengov #opendata
November 24, 2025 at 5:41 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Navy made legal threats to try and keep nuclear pollution secret www.theferret.scot/navy-try-kee... by @robedwards5.bsky.social via @theferret.scot

#FOI /EIRs #opengov #natsec
The Campaign for Freedom of Information in Scotland was pleased that Hamilton "refused to be intimidated" by the MoD's "aggressive manoeuvres". The public interest had finally been served by disclosure, said campaign director, Carole Ewart. She thought the MoD might have "overlooked" the fact that Scotland's environmental information law is tougher than that south of the border. Details can only be kept secret in Scotland if they "prejudice substantially" national security, but UK law says they can remain hidden if they just "adversely affect" national security. The Scottish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament thanked Hamilton for acting "without fear or favour" in the public interest. "The MoD tried to add to their shameful history of nuclear cover-ups by harassing officials with false claims of national security, hoping we'd never know radioactivity was negligently leaked from Coulport," said campaign chair, Lynn Jamieson.
November 23, 2025 at 3:59 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
MPs should have their smartphones taken away, they can get all the information they need from @commonslibrary.bsky.social
November 23, 2025 at 3:12 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Labour MP tricked by AI-generated content. Don't believe everything you see on social media, kids #genAI #medialiteracy
Screenshot of tweet from UK Labour Jon Trickett MP @jon_trickett: "Read this and then resolve never to allow anyone to let private medical care replace the nhs" Trickett was quote-tweeting another tweet with a context message: "This story about 91-year-old Helen Miller being arrested for felony theft is fictional and never actually occurred. The story, characters, and accompanying images are AI-generated content that has been debunked as completely fabricated."
November 23, 2025 at 2:48 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
The UK company behind Undress​.cc has "voluntarily" applied to be struck off following Online Safety Act enforcement find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/1507...

Ofcom may struggle to collect that £50,000 fine www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

#censorship #openweb #techpolicy
FIRST GAZETTE NOTICE 15076132 ITAI TECH LTD Publication date in the Gazette: 25/11/2025 The Registrar of Companies gives notice that, unless cause is shown to the contrary, the Company will be struck off the register and dissolved not less than 2 months from the date shown above. Upon the Company's dissolution, all property and rights vested in, or held in trust for, the Company are deemed to be bona vacantia, and will belong to the Crown.
November 22, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by Owen Boswarva
sarahlicity.bsky.social
tldr of this thread: neither Parliament nor the government of the day ever intended, at any point, for sex in equality legislation to be read to exclude trans people.

The Supreme Court judgment was legislating from the bench and is clearly bad law, and as a result, untenable.
reactiveashley.bsky.social Ashleeee 🌊🪭 @reactiveashley.bsky.social · 7d
1/🧵 The good people of the Cabinet Office has found a copy of the Department for Education and Employment’s drafting instructions* for the Sex Discrimination (Gender Reassignment) Regulations 1999.

* the Parly Counsel does vetting only in this case, so the instructions is to DfEE’s in-house lawyers
Sex Discrimination Gender Reassignment Regulations 1999 Drafting Instructions - a Freedom of Information request to Government Equalities Office
Please send me copies of the Sex Discrimination Gender Reassignment Regulations 1999’s Drafting Instructions given to the Parliamentary Counsel. If you can’t locate all versions, send me any one of th...
www.whatdotheyknow.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:24 AM