Owen Boswarva
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owenboswarva.bsky.social
Owen Boswarva
@owenboswarva.bsky.social
2.5K followers 2.1K following 3.2K posts
A mix of stuff: mainly #opendata, #FOI, #dataprotection, #geospatial, #openweb, #genAI, #techpolicy. 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
More #openaddresses from local government:

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

As usual I have geocoded the property locations for maps etc.

#UKhousing #localgov #opengov #opendata
Screenshot of geocoded Haringey Council address data visualised in Leaflet with background mapping from OpenStreetMap
February 20, 2026 at 8:45 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Why are the lat/lngs in Ordnance Survey's OS Open UPRN product ETRS89 rather than WGS84? Is it just to be awkward? docs.os.uk/os-downloads... #geospatial #opendata #rhetoricalquestions
February 20, 2026 at 6:31 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Update on cuts to ONS's statistical outputs, reducing the national evidence base in areas such as health, wellbeing, and climate change:

Letter with details in Annex A www.ons.gov.uk/news/stateme... + blog post blog.ons.gov.uk/2026/02/19/r...

#opengov #opendata
● Reducing the ONS's involvement in health surveys - the Health Survey for England and the Mental Health of Children and Young People Survey will no longer be run by the ONS as previously planned. ● Pausing our quarterly greenhouse gas emission (residence basis) statistics - annual greenhouse gas emissions statistics continue to be published by the ONS, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. ● Stopping development of subnational estimates of tourism spending and Tourism Direct Gross Value Added.  ● Scaling back activity related to wellbeing statistics, including moving to publishing our main dashboard on an annual basis, supported by a shorter quarterly set of measures embedded within an existing bulletin to meet new international requirements. ● Resequencing our work to disaggregate Household Final Consumption Expenditure to local authority level. ● Pausing further developments to our subnational clustering (grouping geographical areas based on similarity) until 2029. ● Stopping further developments of Health, Wellbeing and Place research, instead making data available to researchers through the Secure Research Service.  
February 19, 2026 at 11:23 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Government announces plans to extend the range of pretexts Ofcom can use to block websites:

Tech firms* will have to take down abusive images within 48 hours www.gov.uk/government/n... + www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...

* not just tech firms

#OnlineSafetyAct #censorship #openweb #techpolicy
● Government orders tech platforms to detect and remove intimate images shared without consent ● Firms put on notice that any non-consensual intimate image that is flagged to them must be taken down in under 48 hours ● Government clear that tackling intimate image abuse should be treated with the same severity the same as child sexual abuse material and terrorist content
February 19, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by Owen Boswarva
owenboswarva.bsky.social
I've updated this interactive map based on #opendata published by MHCLG last month:

Fire Stations in England www.owenboswarva.com/blog/note-fi...
Screenshot of Fire Stations in England interactive map
February 15, 2026 at 10:07 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
New report-stage amendments to the UK's Crime and Policing Bill include an AI chatbot offence from Baroness Kidron bills.parliament.uk/bills/3938/s... and a semen-related add-on from Baroness Owen bills.parliament.uk/bills/3938/s...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#genAI #censorship #openweb #techpolicy #nicheinterests
February 17, 2026 at 12:59 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
ONS has paused production of ONSUD and NSUL indefinitely due to "inconsistencies in the geographies" assigned to UPRNs geoportal.statistics.gov.uk

Most geographies can be matched to UPRNs in GIS using other products, but ONSUD and NSUL are the only #opendata source that links UPRNs to postcodes.
Important Customer Updates 16/02/2026: We have identified and are investigating some inconsistencies in the geographies assigned to Unique Property Reference Numbers (UPRNs) in the National Statistical UPRN Lookup (NSUL) and ONS UPRN Directory (ONSUD). We are pausing production of these and will keep users updated as we work to resolve this.
February 17, 2026 at 8:03 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Itai Tech Ltd, the UK firm behind nudification site Undress​​.cc, has been dissolved via "voluntary strike-off" find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/1507...

Itai still shows as payment agent on the site

£55,000 in Online Safety Act fines: paid www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safet...
February 17, 2026 at 6:43 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Cabinet Secretary: ministerial direction www.gov.uk/government/p...

This definitely does not read like Starmer is giving the Cabinet Secretary a bung to go quietly – you're just imagining that
In respect of value for money, I have consulted Civil Service HR and legal advisors and have had due regard to Managing Public Money and the consideration of Sir Chris Wormald's employment rights in the circumstances. The proposed award is greater than what Sir Chris Wormald would be contractually entitled to. However, I am informed that a settlement of this level is necessary given that this is a departure from a high profile, unique role that has been agreed at very short notice. Given the complexity of the legal position and the information to be considered at this time, it is not possible for me to conclude to the level required whether the proposed settlement amount represents value for money or not. However, you as Prime Minister can take into account wider considerations, in particular the public interest in bringing this matter to a conclusion and the prevention of distraction from the effective operation of Government.
February 17, 2026 at 5:47 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
I've updated this interactive map based on #opendata published by MHCLG last month:

Fire Stations in England www.owenboswarva.com/blog/note-fi...
Screenshot of Fire Stations in England interactive map
February 15, 2026 at 10:07 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
The current UK Government's policy on transparency and open data: empty space, occasional tumbleweed questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-ques... + www.gov.uk/government/c...
UK House of Commons written question UIN 110019, tabled on 2 February 2026 and answered on 10 February 2026: Question Mike Wood Conservative, Kingswinford and South Staffordshire Commons To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's correspondence entitled Letter from the Prime Minister on government transparency and open data, published on 14 December 2017, whether the approach set out in the letter is Government policy. Answer Chris Ward Labour, Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven Commons The Government's approach to transparency and open data is set out on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-publish-central-government-transparency-data.
February 13, 2026 at 10:38 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
I don't know who needs to read this … well actually I do …

Improving transparency: key steps for councils to strengthen FOI compliance ico.org.uk/for-organisa... new from the ICO based on compliance data from 26 borough councils across the North West of England

#FOI #localgov #opengov
February 13, 2026 at 9:31 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
'There's no reason for Discord to comply in advance' with social media age verification laws instead of 'fighting for their users' says EFF expert www.pcgamer.com/gaming-indus... + www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

#ageverification #censorship #openweb #techpolicy #gaming
"Platforms can fight back, and they should," said Rindala Alajaji, associate director of state affairs at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Alajaji spoke with PC Gamer about Discord's decision this week, saying that the first thing that came to mind when she heard the news was Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny and its first lesson, "do not obey in advance." "This is so bad if Discord's already being like, 'you know what, let's just do it for everyone,'" she said. "What's stopping other platforms and the internet at large from throwing their hands up and being like, 'it's just easier to cover our ass?'"
February 13, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Reposted by Owen Boswarva
ddosecrets.org
Because the Department of Justice appears to have removed the .zip archives for the Epstein files, @ddosecrets.org is now the best place to get all of the data in bulk.

ddosecrets.org/article/epst...

Help us keep publishing: donorbox.org/ddosecrets
February 13, 2026 at 4:19 AM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
MP wants DSIT to make Ofcom take down anti-influencer doxxing site Tattle Life hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026...

The site does seem to be UK-controlled (though I note Yuzu Zest Ltd is going through liquidation) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tattle_...

#OnlineSafetyAct #censorship #openweb #techpolicy
Apsana Begum (Poplar and Limehouse) (Lab) In September last year, I hosted survivors and victims of the so-called gossip website Tattle Life, and we heard the absolutely harrowing testimonies of those who have been targeted by sustained and escalating online harassment, stalking and abuse by its users, with many people driven to feel suicidal. There has been extensive coverage of this issue by the broadcast media, including "Good Morning Britain" and ITV's "Lorraine". I raise this matter because, on Sunday, 16-year-old Prin Dickson died by suicide after facing escalating and intensifying harassment on this dangerous website. Many colleagues and I have called on Ofcom to listen to our concerns and to take down the website. On Monday, we wrote to Ofcom again, but four days on from Prin's suicide, this website is still live, and users are now discussing her suicide and abusing her bereaved mum. Can the Leader of the House ensure that there is an urgent intervention by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to ensure that Ofcom uses all its powers to take down the site and prevent any further tragedy? Can he also ensure that time is provided to debate the Online Safety Act 2023 and failures to safeguard women and children online?
February 13, 2026 at 8:22 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Dozens of address datasets from UK local authorities have been published on WhatDoTheyKnow www.owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...

New blog post highlighting results from a batch request made last year. A few datasets seem to be covered by permission for re-use as #opendata.

#FOI #openaddresses -ish
February 13, 2026 at 7:13 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Journalists voice dismay over court archive deletion www.holdthefrontpage.co.uk/2026/news/jo... (UK)

Court Reporting Data hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2026... Commons debate earlier this week

Posts from Enda Leahy, CEO of Courtsdesk endaleahy.substack.com

#Courtsdesk #dataprotection #openjustice
"The fact is that the MoJ court records are in a complete mess. The only way to make sense of them – bar whipping out the scissors and the pritt stick as I used to do – is to compile all the different lists into a computer software which is capable of searching through them, i.e. Courtsdesk. But MoJ reckons that innovation is a breach of data protection, so here we are. "I think everyone in the media industry would share my complete lack of confidence in HMCTS's ability to produce their own workable version of what Courtsdesk had created. We can only hope."
February 12, 2026 at 6:51 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
UK Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) spend data, transactions over £25,000, April 2010 - December 2025 drive.google.com/uc?export=do... (1.4 MB XLSX)

#publicspending #opengov #opendata
February 12, 2026 at 6:26 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Ofcom has published a slew of enforcement updates to its anti-porn campaign under the umbrella of the Online Safety Act www.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement

Kick Online (which runs old school cesspit motherless​.com) has been fined £800,000 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

#censorship #openweb #techpolicy
February 12, 2026 at 5:33 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Number of deaths by sex, five-year age bands, and Lower Layer Output Area (LSOA), England and Wales; deaths registered in 2024 www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula... ad hoc release of small area data from ONS

#deathstats #opendata
February 11, 2026 at 7:34 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Xbox Age Restrictions Roll Out to Widespread Issues in UK, as Microsoft Says It's 'Working to Fix' Problems www.ign.com/articles/xbo...

The Online Safety Act is endearing itself to another community

#gaming #ageverification #censorship #openweb #techpolicy
Xbox has acknowledged widespread issues with the rollout of its enforced age verification process in the UK, leaving many users unable to fully access games and online features. Overnight, a flood of complaints has arisen on reddit and social media from users who say they have been booted out of games to perform the console's age verification check — which in some cases is taking hours to complete, and for others is not completing at all. In the meantime, users say they are unable to use apps such as Discord, or use Xbox voice chat in games with non-friends. An Xbox support page for the process now lists an error message, with a note from Microsoft saying it is "aware of the issue and working to fix it."
February 11, 2026 at 6:39 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Proposals to ban social media for children commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri... research briefing from the UK House of Commons Library

#socialmediaban #censorship #openweb #techpolicy #childrights
February 11, 2026 at 12:12 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Labour councillor sent sexual texts and videos to a police decoy posing as a child www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Liron Velleman give evidence on behalf of Hope not Hate at the committee stage of the UK's Online Safety Bill in 2022 hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2022...
February 10, 2026 at 9:32 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Guidance 'black hole' sparks charity soft opt-in warning www.decisionmarketing.co.uk/top-story/gu... + www.dma.org.uk/about/articl...

Consultation ico.org.uk/about-the-ic...

The very suggestion that ICO guidance might not be up to speed how dare you

#dataprotection #directmarketing #spamspamspam
The changes, which fall under the Data (Use & Access) Act, enable charities to use a new "soft opt-in", meaning they can send direct marketing emails and texts to people who have expressed interest in or offered to support a charity without needing their prior consent for marketing, provided they meet the necessary requirements. The move, which it is claimed could benefit charities to the tune of £290m a year, is designed to bring third sector organisations into line with general businesses and provide more opportunities to stay in touch with supporters, helping them raise vital funds. However, with Information Commissioner's Office yet to publish guidance on how the new rules will work in practice, charities are in danger of falling into a legal "black hole" with both regulators and industry sector bodies urging caution.
February 10, 2026 at 8:39 PM
owenboswarva.bsky.social
Job – Data Protection Officer and Head of Information Rights Management at the Charity Commission (for England and Wales) in Liverpool or Newport www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi...

#FOI #dataprotection #datasharing
February 10, 2026 at 7:44 PM