FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
1–10 of 29 posts
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#2Only now in 2015 the FBI fullfills FOIA requests electronically? That is incredible backward. I thought the Department of Interior was bad because they couldn't do global email searches on even global searches within a specific Bureau, but Interior is light years ahead of the FBI.
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#3Only now in 2015 the FBI fullfills FOIA requests electronically? That is incredible backward. I thought the Department of Interior was bad because they couldn't do global email searches on even global searches within a specific Bureau, but Interior is light years ahead of the FBI.
If you're the FBI, what motivation do you have to implement the system? No one ever use an FOIA request to get info about something good to praise them. It's always to get info to smear them.
Why would they want to make this easier?
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#4Only now in 2015 the FBI fullfills FOIA requests electronically? That is incredible backward. I thought the Department of Interior was bad because they couldn't do global email searches on even global searches within a specific Bureau, but Interior is light years ahead of the FBI.
If you're the FBI, what motivation do you have to implement the system? No one ever use an FOIA request to get info about something good to praise them. It's always to get info to smear them. Why would they want to make this easier?
Honestly, all branches of the public sector should strive for maximum transparency. I understand why you're asking this question, but in a truly transparent system, if someone is trying to smear a branch doing a good job, there is plenty of ammunition to demonstrate the opposite.
Incidentally this is why I'm a huge believer in open management models. They work great in FOSS. Being scrutinized by outsiders forces you to think more carefully about what you do. Within a company, employees are generally disincentivized from giving negative feedback and often don't have the full picture to judge with anyway. Outsiders don't have that problem.
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#5Only now in 2015 the FBI fullfills FOIA requests electronically? That is incredible backward. I thought the Department of Interior was bad because they couldn't do global email searches on even global searches within a specific Bureau, but Interior is light years ahead of the FBI.
If you're the FBI, what motivation do you have to implement the system? No one ever use an FOIA request to get info about something good to praise them. It's always to get info to smear them. Why would they want to make this easier?
Believing in this kind of argument is accepting corruption.
It's kind of like saying "why should the parties in power fix the electoral system if they benefit from it".
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#6Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you're the FBI, what motivation do you have to implement the system? No one ever use an FOIA request to get info about something good to praise them. It's always to get info to smear them. Why would they want to make this easier?
Believing in this kind of argument is accepting corruption. It's kind of like saying "why should the parties in power fix the electoral system if they benefit from it".
I don't think the point of the argument is that it's a good state of affairs. The point is the incentives are wrong, so obviously this will happen. Hoping the FBI's heart grows the sizes won't get you anywhere.
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#7"If you are requesting information on a deceased individual, you will need to upload proof of death unless the deceased individual is more than 100 years old."
The FBI doesn't know who is dead?
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#8You can also just email FOIA requests to foiparequest@ic.fbi.gov
Emailing also doesn't require uploading a scan of your driver's license or limit you to one request a day, which the new system does.
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#9Only now in 2015 the FBI fullfills FOIA requests electronically? That is incredible backward. I thought the Department of Interior was bad because they couldn't do global email searches on even global searches within a specific Bureau, but Interior is light years ahead of the FBI.
You've been able to submit requests electronically (via email) for years. For releases that are of major popular interest, they post the results in their reading room: vault.fbi.gov
But yes, they typically respond via mail, although over the past five years usually with CDs if it's more than a few pages.
Re: FBI launches eFOIA System for faster FOIA requests
#10"If you are requesting information on a deceased individual, you will need to upload proof of death unless the deceased individual is more than 100 years old." The FBI doesn't know who is dead?
They could easily allow you to specify the SSN in the request, and verify it against the Social Security Death Index [1]. They just choose not to make it that easy.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_Death_Index
Disclaimer: One of my projects TODO is to crowdsource the funding of obtaining the SSDI quarterly from the SSA (its expensive [2]), and then provide it as an open API.
[2] https://www.ssdmf.com/FolderID/1/SessionID/%7B67E8C06C-025F-...