David Hamilton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
@da.vidh.scot
1K followers 730 following 550 posts
Scottish Information Commissioner. Volunteer Aid Worker in Ukraine and Bosnia. Charity trustee
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da.vidh.scot
With elections next year I wonder if our democracy is not already under attack through misinformation.
da.vidh.scot
Seriously impressed with Canada’s approach to disinformation. Lots to learn for UK & Scotland so we can protect elections. Eg at last Canadian elections 5 office holders tasked with protecting elections considered Intel from security agencies & briefed media on disinformation.
da.vidh.scot
It’s Recruitment time again…
This time I’m looking for a Business Support Manager to join our @foi.scot team
Full details at
www.foi.scot/current-vaca...
Reposted by David Hamilton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
antongerashchenko.bsky.social
Today, 52-year-old Ilona Revut has died in a shelter in Kyiv due to an acute reaction to stress.
A beauty parlor where Ilona was hairstylist wrote of her death.

Russia doesn't always kill with direct strikes.
Many Ukrainians have serious health issues after surviving Russian attacks.
da.vidh.scot
“I hope this serves as the wake-up call that NHS Forth Valley need. Their FOI response times over the last 18 months have been terrible.”
foi.scot
🗞️📢 @nhsforthvalley.bsky.social on a final warning before @foi.scot issues "a highly unusual" and unprecedented enforcement notice. Failure to comply with that would be reported to the Court of Session as Contempt of Court.
Read more 👉 www.foi.scot/sites/defaul...
Hospital corridor
da.vidh.scot
How come we’re not called the British and Irish Leopards?
da.vidh.scot
If only ScotGov had asked those who have been there. 🤷🏻‍♂️
Military medical aid is civil medical aid in many parts of Ukraine. Army medics treat civilians. A ridiculous caveat which will endanger the lives of the people the aid was intended to help.
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/snp-...
SNP bans Ukraine from sending NHS donations to front lines
Ministers accused of ‘morally bankrupt hypocrisy’ after government officials demanded that £800,000 of medical supplies be used for ‘civilian purposes only’
www.thetimes.co.uk
da.vidh.scot
It makes me wonder about Eastern Ukraine and the devastation I saw there and of course to Gaza.
How long to rebuild these towns and cities? We really are an insane species.
da.vidh.scot
Mostar was absolutely wrecked when i was there and to this day many buildings still bear the scars of war.
da.vidh.scot
Last week I was driving from.Satajevo to Split for the first tine in 30 years. Gave me the chance to visit Mostar and it's famous ottoman bridge as last time I was there it had been blown up by Bosnian Croats and a rope bridge erected in its place!
da.vidh.scot
We won’t know till we validate and investigate…but in the last 3 years, appeals for vexatious or manifestly unreasonable have been 2-5% of our cases. www.foi.scot/sites/defaul...
www.foi.scot
da.vidh.scot
Yikes, the @foi.scot workload record has been smashed again. Following Aprils biggest ever number of new cases (80), May has seen another 15% increase on that to 92. We’re working flat out and are now 2/3 way through the historical backlog. Our intervention progress work is suffering though.
da.vidh.scot
It’s not exactly Schengen is it?. Digital Borders was meant to be live last year. So forgive me if I don’t hold my breath for a mediocre sticking plaster.
da.vidh.scot
Another European airport and another chorus of complants and outrage at #Brexit from queues of Scots stuck at border security. Who the hell voted for this?
Reposted by David Hamilton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
Reposted by David Hamilton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
annagvarish.bsky.social
Day 177 of a non-stop #GeorgiaProtests.

Let me remind you that GD banned using fireworks at the protests in January.
da.vidh.scot
Two charities I am involved with, run entirely by volunteers, have just learned that @microsoft.com is slashing its software support for charities.
This despite posting $70 billion in the last quarter, up 13.7%. This is their right and we’re grateful for past donations but…really?
da.vidh.scot
Finally, what of the Board Members who failed in their roles? Many have moved on - apparently without sanction- not even named in the report. Maybe we need to debar poor performing public board members from standing on other boards in the future? Maybe we need to pay more to get better people?
da.vidh.scot
The failings appear to stem from hopeless oversight and a Board/ Ministerial failure to probe and ask questions. I’m grateful for my Parliamentary oversight where at least I do feel tested and challenged.
da.vidh.scot
As an accountable officer for public funds I fear that my pleas for a proportionate audit model for small bodies will be lost in the response. Audit is a key tool in accountability but WICS’s issues clearly started well before 2022.
da.vidh.scot
This really is appalling.
www.parliament.scot/about/news/n...

A total failure of oversight by the Board.
The danger is a knee jerk reaction that impacts on all the public bodies for which this kind of behaviour is an anathema.
Catalogue of failures led to issues at Scotlands water watchdog
www.parliament.scot
da.vidh.scot
For info, Whilst we need to be cautious about comparing apples and pears, the last 4 quarter stats for Scottish Govt were 56% for full release.
www.foi.scot/statistics
Reposted by David Hamilton 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇺🇦
laurenleharper.bsky.social
There are some extremely brave FOIA officers in the federal government - and this is a reminder that they often want to get the information out as badly as the public wants to read it.
charliesavage.bsky.social
In response to @freedom.press FOIA request, ODNI declassified & released an intel memo contradicting a key claim Trump made to invoke the Alien Enemies Act

Confirms reporting the Trump admin characterized as false & used to justify weakening limits on leak inquiries

www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/u...
Spy Agencies Do Not Think Venezuela Directs Gang, Declassified Memo Shows
The release of the memo further undercuts the Trump administration’s rationale for using the Alien Enemies Act to deport scores of Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador.
www.nytimes.com