Internal documentation or policy regarding websites critical of Scottish Government: FOI release

Information requested

Following on from FOI response 202600507227, dated 09 MARCH 2026, please provide any internal Scottish Government documents, emails, briefings, reports or meeting notes created or received between 1 September 2025 and 28 February 2026 that refer to the following https://johnsmytheinvestigations.wordpress.com/

Also, please confirm whether the Scottish Government (or any shared-network body) has any policy, guidance or standing instruction concerning the monitoring of external websites, blogs or X/Twitter accounts that could potentially be viewed as being critical of Scottish Government policy or operations. If such guidance exists, please provide a copy. In particular, explain how the 931 accesses to https://johnsmytheinvestigations.wordpress.com/ recorded in FOI 202600507227 were generated (e.g. routine network logging, targeted monitoring, shared links, etc.).

Response

I enclose responses to your requested in the text below. The questions provided appear below in the exact order provided. 

Following on from FOI response 202600507227, dated 09 MARCH 2026, please provide any internal Scottish Government documents, emails, briefings, reports or meeting notes created or received between 1 September 2025 and 28 February 2026 that refer to the following https://johnsmytheinvestigations.wordpress.com/

Outside of FOI 202600507227, I can confirm that there are no internal Scottish Government documents, emails, briefings, report or meeting notes created or received between the 1st of September 2025 and the 28th of February 2026 relating to or detailing: https://johnsmytheinvestigations.wordpress.com/

Please confirm whether the Scottish Government (or any shared-network body) has any policy, guidance or standing instruction concerning the monitoring of external websites, blogs or X/Twitter accounts that could potentially be viewed as being critical of Scottish Government policy or operations. If such guidance exists, please provide a copy. In particular, explain how the 931 accesses to https://johnsmytheinvestigations.wordpress.com/ recorded in FOI 202600507227 were generated (e.g. routine network logging, targeted monitoring, shared links, etc.).

The Scottish Government does not have a policy, guidance or standing instruction that requires the routine monitoring of external websites, blogs, or social media accounts specifically on the basis that they may be critical of Scottish Government policy or operations.

Within Scottish Government Communications, limited media monitoring activity is undertaken. This is focused on tracking coverage from recognised news organisations (e.g. broadcast and print media such as the BBC, national and local newspapers). This activity is designed to capture a broad range of reporting relating to the Scottish Government and is not targeted solely at critical content. There is no formal or routine requirement for staff to monitor blogs, personal websites, the accounts of individual journalists or non-journalists.

Any access to external websites is undertaken at the discretion of individual staff members and not as part of a structured or centrally directed monitoring activity. Therefore the Scottish Government does not hold specific information on the individual circumstances or purpose for the hits recorded in the previous FOI response.

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