FOIA News: State Dep't proactively releases declassified docs using AI

State Department declassifies diplomatic cables using AI assistant

By Justin Doubleday, Fed. News Network, Oct. 9. 2023

A directive to U.S. embassies in India and Pakistan requesting an urgent evaluation of economic and financial vulnerabilities in those countries.

A report from the embassy in Sofia detailing discord in the Bulgarian Socialist Party.

And an internal summary, prepared by the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s meeting with President Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

Those messages are among dozens of newly released diplomatic cables from late 1997. The State Department declassified the cables using a machine learning tool developed by the agency over the past year. The cables were not subject to any Freedom of Information Act requests, but State officials determined copies of the documents could be publicly released through the “proactive disclosure” provision of FOIA.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Washington Post Announces new FOIA Column

New FOIA Column “Reveals” All in The Washington Post

By WashPostPR, Washington Post, Oct. 5, 2023
The Washington Post today announces the first installment of “Revealing Records,” a new column anchored by Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Director Nate Jones. The first-of-its kind column from the investigations desk takes readers behind the scenes in unearthing public records, exposing the countless secrets hidden in government documents, and highlights how the records inform Post reporting.

“The Post’s award-winning investigations are strengthened by Nate’s critical work obtaining local, state and federal records to help our reporters tell better stories,” said Sarah Childress, deputy editor for long-term investigations. “We are thrilled to offer this entertaining and educational window into the work we do every day to scrutinize power and empower people.”

Read more here.

FOIA News: MuckRock Interview with DOJ OIP's Bobak ‘Bobby’ Talebian

Q&A with Justice Department Office of Information Policy’s Bobak ‘Bobby’ Talebian on the future of FOIA

By Albert Serna Jr., MuckRock, Oct. 4, 2023

With the closing of FOIAonline last week, FOIA.gov is now the central hub for FOIA requests and information about federal agencies. As the site sees more traffic and use, users might have questions about how to navigate through the site’s various features.

Bobak “Bobby” Talebian, director of the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy, spoke with MuckRock about FOIA.gov, how it works and what’s planned for its future. A new tool, dubbed a “FOIA Wizard,” is set for a beta release this fall and is aimed at helping users better see existing FOIA requests and craft new ones.

Read more here.

FOIA News: FOIA fun on Oct. 4th

Have a Little Fun with FOIA

By Electronic Frontier Found.

October 4, 2023 - 9:00am to 10:00am PDT

FOIA takes itself very seriously, but there are some really interesting public records finds that are a little off the beaten path and can be a fantastic engagement tool. For a few examples, peacoks run amok, the gender of the Secret Service hero dog, and other animal hijinks all make for great stories. Join EFF Investigative Researcher Beryl Lipton, Adrien Salzberg of MuckRock, and Ben Welsh of Reuters for a workshop on finding great FOIA stories, framing them so they resonate, and then following up to build awareness about public records and a stronger transparency community.

This event is part of the National Freedom of Information Coalition 2023 National FOI Summit, which runs from October 3rd to October 5th.

Original post here.

FOIA News: Need a gift?

Proving there’s nothing you can’t put on a t-shirt, here’s something for the FOIA lovers out there. https://tshirtatlowprice.com/products/foia-and-find-out-t-shirt/.

Disclaimer: FOIA Advisor has no connection to this merchant, nor do we endorse its merchandise.

FOIA News: NRLB finds replacement for FOIAOnline

NLRB Transitions to SecureRelease for Processing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests

Office of Public Affairs, NLRB, Sept. 26, 2023

Starting October 1, 2023, members of the public can submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for Agency records using SecureRelease. SecureRelease replaces FOIAOnline, which will be decommissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on September 30, 2023. For more information on the decommissioning of FOIAOnline, please see this FAQ.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Artificial intelligence at the State Dep't

AI Update: State Department’s AI Programs, Google’s AI Push into Government

FedManager, Sept. 26, 2023

Agencies across the federal government are preparing strategies to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technology. At the State Department, the agency is amid several different artificial intelligence projects.

One State Department pilot program uses AI to process Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. AI helps cut down on work by combining similar requests, eliminating duplicate work, and finding potentially responsive records. AI is also being used to identify classified and other FOIA-exempt materials in search results, although it is not used for redactions at this moment.

Read more here.

FOIA News: Upcoming FOIA training for gov't employees

On October 4, 2023, the Office of Information Policy will host a two-hour virtual training session on agency FOIA reports for government employees. Reserve your spot here.

FOIA News: DOJ issues assessment of 2023 CFO Reports and 2024 guidance

Summary and Assessment of Agency 2023 Chief FOIA Officer Reports and New Guidelines for 2024 CFO Reports Issued

By DOJ/OIP, FOIA Post, Sept. 20, 2023

Today the Office of Information Policy (OIP) is pleased to release its summary and assessment of agencies’ 2023 Chief FOIA Officer (CFO) Reports.  OIP’s 2023 summary and assessment focuses on steps agencies have taken to improve FOIA administration in five key areas highlighted in the Attorney General’s 2022 FOIA Guidelines:

• FOIA Leadership and Applying a Presumption of Openness;

• Ensuring Fair and Effective FOIA Administration;

• Proactive Disclosures;

• Utilizing Technology to Improve Efficiency; and

• Steps Taken to Remove Barriers to Access, Improve Timelines, and Reduce Backlogs.

This past March marked the fourteenth year that agency CFOs submitted these reports to the Department of Justice.

Read more here.

FOIA News: "FOIA Love" musical comedy still going strong after 10 years

Comedy-Bluegrass Show “FOIA Love” Makes Troy Debut

By Cara Denton, NYS Music, Sept. 20, 2023

FOIA Love: A Comedy and Bluegrass Show About Public Records, is making its one-night Troy debut on October 22 at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. The show is a comedy and music performance, with all humor inspired by actual public documents, such as FCC complaints about Big Bang Theory being too violent, FBI profiles of sports stars, and misguided visa rejections.

Read more here.

Additional tour dates here.