Anzhela Nikolenko v The Information Commissioner

Facts

The applicant, Anzhela Nikolenko, complained to the Information Commissioner on 8 November 2025 about articles published by The Sun containing identifiable personal information and photographs of her and her minor grandson, and about the refusal by News Group Newspapers Ltd of a request for erasure. She acted in a representative capacity in relation to the child's data. The Commissioner acknowledged the complaint the same day, indicating that it was taking approximately 29 weeks to assign new complaints. By the end of May 2026 the applicant had received no complaint reference, confirmation of allocation, request for information, progress update or outcome, and nothing substantive followed in June and July. On 18 August 2026 she applied to the Tribunal under section 166 of the Data Protection Act 2018, expressly not seeking a ruling on the merits. On 8 September 2026 the Commissioner supplied a case reference and requested evidence of her authority to act for the child. The child's mother supplied written authority on 13 September 2026. The Commissioner's response, dated 16 September 2026, accepted and apologised for the delay, and invited withdrawal or, alternatively, strike out under rule 8(3)(c) of the Tribunal Procedure (First-tier Tribunal) (General Regulatory Chamber) Rules 2009. The applicant opposed on 25 September 2026, when the Commissioner also wrote substantively to her.