OGIS Director Alina M. Semo recently testified before a House Subcommittee about eight OGIS assessments at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). OGIS, mandated by Congress to review and identify ways to improve FOIA compliance, reviewed FOIA programs at seven DHS components between September 2015 and February 2018. OGIS also assessed DHS’s compliance with the … Continue reading OGIS Director Testifies Before House Subcommittee
As you may have heard, on June 24, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion on a case involving the “privileged or confidential” requirement of FOIA Exemption 4, Food Mktg Inst. v. Argus Leader Media, 139 S. Ct. 915 (June 24, 2019). Exemption 4 protects "trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from … Continue reading Department of Justice Releases New Guidance on FOIA Exemption 4
OGIS marked its 10th anniversary in September 2019. While aluminum or tin are the traditional gifts to commemorate a decade, we are celebrating our 10 years as the FOIA Ombudsman with cake–-on October 10, 2019, National Ombuds Day! We are pleased that our work has resulted in a culture shift in the FOIA landscape. Dispute … Continue reading OGIS celebrates 10th anniversary
OGIS’s latest FOIA compliance assessment shows that opportunities exist for the Department of Education’s Chief FOIA Officer to fulfill the statutory duties of ensuring compliance with FOIA and recommending improvements to FOIA implementation. The Department of Education assessment, the 13th conducted by OGIS, makes seven actionable recommendations for strengthening Education’s FOIA program, which received 3,041 … Continue reading Education FOIA Compliance Assessment Report Now Available
Searching for responsive records under FOIA works best when processors cross disciplines to collaborate with technology experts at their respective agencies. An OGIS assessment of the 2019 Chief FOIA Officer (CFO) reports shows that while a majority of agencies report using technology to facilitate efficiency in conducting searches, only about one in five agencies report … Continue reading Leveraging Technology in FOIA Searches
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee has come full circle on several of its 2018 recommendations, including that the Chief FOIA Officers (CFO) Council study FOIA technology across agencies. The co-chairmen of the CFO Council Technology Subcommittee—Eric Stein of the State Department and Michael Sarich of the Veterans Health Administration—will report back to … Continue reading Join Us for the Next FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting!
What challenges do you face as you navigate the FOIA process? Whether you are an agency FOIA professional or a FOIA requester, the Federal FOIA Advisory Committee wants to hear from you. The Committee is asking both those who administer and use the Federal FOIA to take a voluntary survey to help inform its understanding … Continue reading Share Your Thoughts with the FOIA Advisory Committee
Recent changes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) landscape and an update on FOIA and technology will be discussed at the August 5, 2019 public meeting of the Chief FOIA Officers Council, beginning at 10:00 a.m. EDT. You may join us online via the National Archives YouTube channel. The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Food … Continue reading Join us Online for Today’s Chief FOIA Officers Council Meeting
Today we present an interview with Abioye Mosheim, Chief FOIA Officer and Assistant General Counsel for FOIA, Privacy and Records at the Consumer Product Safety Commission and a member of the FOIA Advisory Committee. Over the next year, we will share our interviews with other members of the Advisory Committee so that you can get … Continue reading Getting to Know the FOIA Advisory Committee: Abioye Mosheim
Thinking about FOIA beyond its 53rd birthday on July 4th? Interested in how to submit and track FOIA and Privacy Act requests and receive documents digitally from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)? The agency will demonstrate the system and answer the public’s questions during an hour-long webinar at 2 p.m. EDT Tuesday July 9th. … Continue reading Upcoming USCIS Webinar
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