FOIA Advisor

FOIA News: OGIS assessment of first-party requests

FOIA News (2015-2023)Allan BlutsteinComment

On August 30, 2021, the Office of Government Information Services released an assessment of “common categories of records requested frequently under the FOIA and/or Privacy Act by – or on behalf of – individuals seeking records about themselves.” In sum, OGIS recommended that agencies “examine closely all of the records that they generate, collect and/or maintain and seek creative ways to provide non-FOIA access to first-party records when possible.” It also recommended that “agencies use their websites to explain, in plain language, the steps requesters should take to obtain access to first-party records.”