New Paper Outlines Best Practices for Processing Video Records

If the government produces a record, requesters will want it. That is according to a new paper published by the Video Redaction Working Group of the Chief FOIA Officers Council's Technology Committee, which describes ways that agencies can meet this challenge when processing requests for video records such as law enforcement body camera footage, security … Continue reading New Paper Outlines Best Practices for Processing Video Records

OGIS: Spanning the Globe

Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) Director Alina M. Semo joined 63 information commissioners and ombudsmen overseeing access to public information from around the world in the first ever virtual convening of the International Conference of Information Commissioners (ICIC) closed meeting on June 23-24, 2021. During the two-day session, Director Semo updated participants on the … Continue reading OGIS: Spanning the Globe

Recap: Recent OGIS/CDC Webinar on Enterprise Searching

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4492629 While you may not be familiar with the term “enterprise search,” those who have recently submitted a broad FOIA request for email records are likely to be familiar with the challenges agencies face in conducting records searches across vast electronic repositories. On May 6, 2021, OGIS hosted a webinar with Centers for Disease Control … Continue reading Recap: Recent OGIS/CDC Webinar on Enterprise Searching

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Matthew Schwarz

Eighth grade students from St. Bonaventure High School spend recess period picking up trash on the beach near oil wells, 5/1972. Image from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) DOCUMERIA project. National Archives Identifier 542655. Today we present an interview with Matthew Schwarz, an Attorney-Advisor in the Information Law Practice Group with the Office of General … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Matthew Schwarz

FOIA Advisory Committee Meets on June 10

Image from National Archives Giphy channel. The next meeting of the 2020-2022 term of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee is on Thursday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. This virtual meeting is open to the public and registration is required for those wishing to make oral public comments. Please register here by … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Meets on June 10

OGIS Report on Fiscal Year 2020 Now Available

Over the last year, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of our professional and personal lives. OGIS’s 2021 Report for Fiscal Year 2020 provides a window into the ways that the pandemic has affected the FOIA process across federal agencies, and describes OGIS’s work to assist requesters and agencies with the FOIA process in … Continue reading OGIS Report on Fiscal Year 2020 Now Available

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Allan Blutstein

Allan Blutstein, Senior Vice President at America Rising Political Action Committee Today we present an interview with Allan Blutstein, Senior Vice President at America Rising Political Action Committee and a member of the 2020-2022 FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Allan Blutstein

Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Tuan Samahon

Tuan Samahon, Professor of Law at Villanova University Today we present an interview with Tuan Samahon, Professor of Law at Villanova University and a member of the 2020-2022 FOIA Advisory Committee. This is part of a series of posts on the Committee, whose members are FOIA experts from inside and outside of government and who are … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Tuan Samahon