Getting Your Government Files Via the FOIA

An anonymous reader writes "The Bad Guys blog is marking America's third annual Sunshine Week: 'a national effort to cast light onto the growing recesses of government secrecy'. US News is offering up the latest information on the Freedom of Information Act, with links to filing FOI requests to US states, the federal government, and 67 other countries. 'Often the records can be obtained by simply asking for them, but since 9/11, federal agencies have grown increasingly stubborn about what they release. A just-released survey by the National Security Archive found that only 1 in 5 federal agencies meets congressionally mandated requirements for online information access. There's hope, though: A new bill is making its way through the House of Representatives, with bipartisan backing, that would strengthen the FOIA, one of a host of open government measures being looked at by the new Congress.'"

Oh nooooes!

[LinuxGeek]

How many of us /.ers are going to find out we are so uninteresting that we dont have anything on file?

Re:

[Khaed]

Probably me. I'm really boring. No speeding tickets, no trouble in school, no arrest record.

I've yet to even piss off an elected official or go to any protests.

Sigh. How can I change the world yet still be lazy?

Re:Oh nooooes!

[e9th]

Don't worry. I'm sure that just making an FOIA request will fatten up your file quickly.

Re:

[SMITHEE]

Hey, the customer's always right.

Re:

[anthony_dipierro]

Don't worry. I'm sure that just making an FOIA request will fatten up your file quickly.

Yeah, reminds me of the story about the guy who made a FOIA request asking for a copy of his FBI file, and received a copy of his FOIA request.

Uninteresting?

[Savage-Rabbit]

How many of us /.ers are going to find out we are so uninteresting that we dont have anything on file?

Hah.. even if that turns out to be the case, all it proves is that my tinfoil hat is working.

How about a new law?

[Anonymous Coward]

How about a law where if you find something about yourself that doesn't serve a legitimate, warranted law enforcement purpose, the person who recorded that information on you receives a lengthy prison sentence?

In that name of personal liberty and freedom from government abuse, it would only be fair.

Re:How about a new law?

[LinuxGeek]

Prison!? That is too harsh, just make it a stiff fine, but payable to the person wrongly reported or surveiled.

Re:

[slughead]

Prison!? That is too harsh, just make it a stiff fine, but payable to the person wrongly reported or surveiled.

There have been a few supreme court cases stating that an officer working for the executive branch cannot be charged with crimes relating to their job under most circumstances. Remember how hard it was to bust those cops in the Rondey King beating? Oh wait, they got away free.

Invasion of privacy and searching and seizing without warrants is usually punishable by suspension. A cop will never worry a

Re:

[that this is not und]

That's one of the many reasons I own a gun.

It's one of the reasons that I try to be civil and friendly to the cops. If they feel like they are part of the same community as me, they're more likely to voluntarily 'do a bit more than they have to' to help me.

Re:

[slughead]

It's one of the reasons that I try to be civil and friendly to the cops. If they feel like they are part of the same community as me, they're more likely to voluntarily 'do a bit more than they have to' to help me.

Well, you can suck up to authority and *hope* they protect you all you want. I'll sleep better at night with Hans and his MG-42 behind my front door waiting for a beach landing on my porch. ... FROM HANS' COLD DEAD HANDS!!

Happy St. Patty's day everybody! *black out*

Re:

[that this is not und]

Do you 'suck up' to all your buddies? What's that slurping sound I hear? I don't consider that the behavior I engage in. Do what you like with this 'Hans' person, I guess.

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

It's one of the reasons that I try to be civil and friendly to the cops. If they feel like they are part of the same community as me, they're more likely to voluntarily 'do a bit more than they have to' to help me.

Too basd you have to, in effect, bribe them in order to get the protection your taxes pay for.

Too bad that demanding that they do their jobs will only cause them to provoke you into an escalation where they can really fuck you over.

Too bad that you have to knuckle under to the fucking nazis to av

Re:

[that this is not und]

Too bad that you have to knuckle under to the fucking nazis to avoid their wrath.

You should really be seeing a therapist about those delusions.

Re:

[Kalriath]

I think ex-spouses comes under suspects.

Re:

[Planesdragon]

How about a law where if you find something about yourself that doesn't serve a legitimate, warranted law enforcement purpose, the person who recorded that information on you receives a lengthy prison sentence?

Why?

If you are intimidated by law enforcement, that information gives you evidence when you sue them. And if there's a record of you that requires a court order to get, and there's no order, you SHOULD sue them. Otherwise, well, if it doesn't affect your life then what are you worried about?

At worst

Security Clearance

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe now I can find out why my interim security clearance was denied.

Re:Security Clearance

[LinuxGeek]

Obviously the government wont hand out security clearances to Anonymous Cowards. Duh.

Irony

[cyberbob2351]

In contrast, the U.S. legislation, as generally interpreted, presumes that all government records should be public-unless officials can show very good reasons to exempt them,

Read : Yeah you can have this information, so long as for some reason you can't.

Anyone else find it ironic that we are hard pressed to definitively outline the rights given to us, seeing as how the information about the act is cast in such a vague light by all those that quote it in daily life. The only anecdotal stories I hear concerning it involve lots of black markers, and a ton of hogwash project bluebook manuscripts that appear in underground ufology rings.

Re:

[Danimoth]

Tell that to MLK.

mlk DID have a reason

[circletimessquare]

i'm talking about the usual slashdotter. why should they care?

Transparent email/phone?

[Anonymous Coward]

Speaking of transparent government, why don't we require all government officials (sans national security) to have their email and phone communication openly viewable by anyone? I think the folks in charge like to throw stones, and it would only be fitting to put them in a glass house. FOIA may allow this now but it should be instant, online, 24/7/365.

Re:

[Kalriath]

No, because usage of email and phone for private usage is also allowed by government departments. What's that I hear? Lawyers salivating over the violation of privacy lawsuits?

my paper

[Wordsmith]

Call it blatant link-whoring if you'd like, but I figured I'd provide a pointer to some resources on Sunshine Week my newspaper, a small Rhode Island Daily, put together - located here [zwire.com]. Our stories this year weren't really in-depth analyses, just overviews and features of the current FOI climate in our area, but we hope they were interesting nonetheless.

right

[mastershake_phd]

Like they are going to tell you if they have any real interesting stuff on you.

There's Hope!

[susano_otter]

There's hope, though: A new bill is making its way through the House of Representatives, with bipartisan backing, that would strengthen the FOIA, one of a host of open government measures being looked at by the new Congress.

Oh, well, if the politicians are talking about passing a law, then our problems are almost over! Leave it to politicians to understand the problem, figure out the right solution, and save the day!

Do any of you have a clue?

[whitroth]

Folks,

First, I've never done this, because I've been afraid of the charges (used to be something like over a dollar a page for "copying, etc". Secondly, they'll give at least some... but a) you need to ask the right agency, and b) you may find that you have 150 pages... with 50% of it "redacted" (i.e., a black marker over the info).

But, yes, you *can* get the info they have on you. Or, based on the first few comments I've read, do y'all believe that we live under,

Getting Your Government Files Via the FOIA

[frogephant]

I would suggest that using FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) to get "your government files" from the Federal government is not the way to go. FOIA only applies to information that is public--e.g., how many civilian employees does the Energy Department have or what is the budget for paper clips in the division of widget design. FOIA does not apply to most personal information. You are much more likely to get information about yourself which is maintained by the Federal government by filing a request under the Privacy Act. There are many exceptions to what has to be disclosed under the Privacy Act; but, as a former Federal FOIA & Privacy Act officer, let me tell you that there are many more exceptions under FOIA--one of them being information whose disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. If you really want to file under FOIA, then include mention of the Privacy Act too or you may be surprised how little information get.

Re:

[bmasel]

For your own files, yes, apply jointly under FOIA and Privacy Acts.

Time I apply again. Last, applications, in 1979, turned up 850 pages with the FBI, 99 with the Secret Service, and 9 with the Postal inspectors.

FYI / Useful Info, if you want data from USG

[Anonymous Coward]

Posting AC because of accont problems.

I was a former Public Affairs rep. for the USG. Left when I saw what a total crapfest it was, but learnded the following - the Dept. of Defense (I assume others, but DoD for sure) is paranoically afraid of few things, but one of them is the Congressional Inquiry, or 'CONGREN'. A FOIA request has to be very specific and can take a long time to process even if you ask for exactly what you want (which you may not even know - they want document numbers in some cases, which