UK Freedom Of Information Act Allows For Undelete

(Mis)Uses of Technology

from the delete-isn't-delete dept

By now, you should all know that just “deleting” something on your computer doesn’t really delete it. That’s (very) old news. However, what about legally? Over in the UK there were some questions over whether or not “deleted” government information that wasn’t actually deleted was retrievable under that country’s Freedom of Information Act. Apparently, those requesting information from the government should send along their favorite undelete utilities, as the a tribunal has ruled that FoIA requests can dig deep into the recycling bin. However, if retrieving the information requires paying for a specialist to uncover the bits hidden on the hard drive, then you may be out of luck.