After you've sent your request
Here's what to expect from the Committee, and what to do if you don't hear back within the statutory deadline.
What happens next
- Today
- Keep the sent email in your archive. That is your evidence the request was made — and the date you sent it sets the response clock running.
- Within one month
- The Committee must respond. They may extend by up to two further months for complex or numerous requests, but only if they tell you of the extension within the first month.
- If a month passes without response
- Contact the Office of the Data Protection Authority with your evidence. They are the regulator and have the power to investigate.
If the response feels incomplete
The Committee may withhold material under specific exemptions in the Law (for example, where disclosure would prejudice an ongoing investigation), but they must explain their reasoning and apply the test on a case-by-case basis. A request can only be refused outright where it is "manifestly unfounded or excessive" — a high bar.
If you believe the response is incomplete, or you haven't received the supplementary information required by the Law (the purposes of processing, the categories of data, recipients, retention, source, and any automated decision-making), you can ask the Committee to clarify, and you can complain to the ODPA.
Help others find this site
Many people don't know they have this right, or that it costs nothing. If this site was useful, sharing it directly with someone — by message, email, or word of mouth — is the kindest way to spread it. There are no third-party share widgets here; the buttons below open apps you already use.
What gets shared
Just the site address and a short suggested message. Nothing about your request, your identity, or that you've used the site.
I just used liftthelid.org.gg to send a Subject Access Request to the Committee for Home Affairs about the Facebook surveillance. Takes about five minutes — they have to give you whatever they have on you within a month.