We need to liberate the Postcode Address File

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

How UK postcodes and PAF work

  • UK postcodes are very fine-grained: often 1–15 buildings, sometimes part of a building.
  • PAF (Postcode Address File) links postcodes to full delivery points and is maintained by Royal Mail’s constant on-the-ground operations.
  • CodePoint Open already provides postcode→coordinates, but not full address lists, which is what many commercial “type your postcode, pick address” services rely on.

Arguments for opening PAF

  • Many argue address data (without names) is low-risk public infrastructure akin to maps or weather data and should be open like in several EU countries.
  • Open address data would lower barriers for e‑commerce, logistics, and public services and reduce duplicated, error‑prone private datasets.
  • Some note the profit from selling PAF is relatively small compared to its systemic value.

Privacy and abuse concerns

  • Several commenters see little abuse potential beyond postal spam, which is already common.
  • Others want high barriers to discourage misuse and note risks arise when address data is linked with other datasets, not from the address file alone.
  • Consensus in the thread leans toward “privacy risk is minimal compared to the benefits.”

International comparisons

  • Examples of open or semi-open address systems: France (BAN), Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic, Switzerland, parts of Australia (G‑NAF), and detailed datasets in the US and Germany (with different granularity).
  • Contrasts: proprietary or licensed systems in UK (PAF), Ireland (Eircode), Australia Post, Canada Post.
  • Many highlight that other countries with strong privacy regimes manage open address data successfully.

Data quality and real‑world messiness

  • Multiple anecdotes show how physical reality defies neat models: multiple buildings or stairwells sharing a number, no unit numbers, overlapping postcodes, entire campuses under one code.
  • Commenters stress that “accurate address database” is intrinsically hard; the map is never the territory.

Ownership, law, and privatisation

  • Strong criticism that PAF was included when Royal Mail was privatised; seen as a “public jewel” sold off.
  • Legal debate: UK Parliament can legislate to free PAF, but compensation, treaty obligations, database rights, and precedent for future privatisations complicate this.
  • Some suggest nationalisation or buying back PAF; others propose legal changes to database copyright.

Recreation and alternatives

  • Proposals: rebuild from Ordnance Survey, National Address Gazetteer, OpenStreetMap, crowdsourcing, or big private map providers.
  • Skepticism: without Royal Mail’s daily delivery updates, matching PAF’s accuracy and freshness is hard and expensive.
  • Alternatives like what3words or Plus Codes are discussed; many dislike relying on another proprietary system and note technical and safety issues with w3w.