Director of Economic Development WhatsApp messages during the Covid-19 pandemic: FOI release

Information requested

The WhatsApp messages of Director, Colin Cook, during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Response

I have taken the period of your request to apply from 21 January 2020 when the World Health Organisation published its ‘Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Report, up until 30 April 2022 when the then remaining Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in Scotland. While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because exemption of s.38(1)(b) personal data to third party, applies. Please find attached Whatsapp report that is in scope.

Section 38(1)(b) An exemption under section 38(1)(b) of FOISA (personal data relating to third party) also applies to some of the information contained within the emails because it is the personal data of a third party, i.e. the names of individuals, telephone numbers. Disclosing this information would contravene the data protection principles in Article 5(1) of the General Data Protection Regulation and in section 34(1) of the Data Protection Act 2018. This exemption is not subject to the ‘public interest test’, so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

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FOI 202400439455 - Information Released - Annex

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