Request ID: FOI-3440-2223 Date published: 13 April 2023
You asked
Previously, there was a wide range of videos ranging from Accessibility to Information posted on TfL's YouTube account, however are no longer listed Publicly. Please could you provide a link to all YouTube videos posted by TfL, which have subsequently marked as unlisted. Could an explanation also be given to why this decision was made to remove all videos?
We answered
Our ref: FOI-3440-2223/GH Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 18 March 2023 asking for information about TfL Unlisted YouTube videos. Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require. Our YouTube account is used to host a vast range of content for public, private, internal or targeted use. Plus, it is our video hosting solution for our website, blogs, etc. Accessibility-related content is available on the website, including for example the Wheelchair access page where videos are embedded. https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility/wheelchair-access-and-avoiding-stairs Video content is often created to accompany other content, for this reason most videos are set to unlisted to mitigate content being viewed out of context or importantly, out of date or no longer correct. We currently have in excess of 3,000 unlisted videos from over the last 10 years, a number which is growing all the time. This equates to 113 pages of videos (30 results on each page), which would have to be manually checked to verify if they were appropriate for public release, and the link then copied to answer your request. We are therefore refusing your request under section 14(1) of the Act, as we consider that providing the requested information would place an unreasonable burden on us. Our principal duty is to provide an effective transport service for London and we consider that answering this request would represent a disproportionate effort. It would be a significant distraction from our work managing the TfL network, requiring re-allocation of already limited resources and placing an unacceptable burden on a small number of personnel. We do wish to clarify that whilst we consider that your request falls under section 14(1) of the FOI Act, this does not reflect a conclusion that it has been your intention to deliberately place an undue burden on our resources. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) guidance states that one of the indicators of a request which may fall under section 14(1) is that it “appears to be part of a completely random approach, lacks any clear focus, or seems to have been solely designed for the purpose of ‘fishing’ for information without any idea of what might be revealed.” The ICO guidance provides the following examples of a ‘fishing expedition’ request which may fall under section 14(1) if it: - Imposes a burden by obliging the authority to sift through a substantial volume of information to isolate and extract the relevant details; - Encompasses information which is only of limited value because of the wide scope of the request; - Creates a burden by requiring the authority to spend a considerable amount of time considering any exemptions and redactions. Our view is that all three of these examples apply in this instance. Reviewing the unlisted videos, and compiling links to all the unlisted videos would be a significant task. As these videos are on a broad ranging variety of topics we feel this wide ranging and non-specific request will very likely encompass information which is only of limited value. In that respect, it is noteworthy that your request is not for information on any specific subject or issue – instead you have simply asked for a link to all YouTube videos posted by TfL, which have subsequently marked as unlisted. If you would like to re-submit a more focused, specific request then we will, of course, consider it. Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal. Yours sincerely Graham Hurt FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
