Can emails be requested under FOIA?
Can emails be requested under FOIA?
Most federal agencies now accept FOIA requests electronically, including by web form, e-mail or fax. See the list of federal agencies for details about how to make a request to each agency and any specific requirements for seeking certain records.
Can you FOIA text messages?
Texts and Emails in Personal Accounts Can Be Subject to FOIA Disclosure. The court held that the requested records are public records and, therefore, subject to FOIA disclosure. A record is a public record under FOIA if it meets two criteria. First, the record must pertain to public business rather than private affairs …
Can you FOIA a personal phone?
Local officials who use their personal cell phones, computers, tablets, and other electronic devices to communicate on government business should be advised that their communications may be subject to FOIA, even if they do not “pass through” city equipment.
What does flag mean in email?
Flagged email messages help you better manage your mail. Flagged messages create to-‐do items either for you alone or for you and the recipients of the email message. For example, you can flag an email message that requests information that you need by a certain date.
Can you FOIA a cell phone?
UPDATE: Both a circuit court and appellate court upheld the PAC ruling that the cell phone records were releasable under FOIA. The PAC next determined that electronic communications by public officials that relate to city business are public records subject to FOIA, regardless of how the communications are sent.
Is email a public record?
If an email is made or received in connection with the transaction of public business, it is a public record regardless of whether it is created or stored on a public or a private computer, mobile device, or email system.
Can you FOIA yourself?
The answer is yes. You can file a FOIA request on yourself using the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy Act. You can write a request letter or fill out an online request form if the agency provides one. After you finish writing the letter, you should submit it to the government agency that has your records.
How many types of FOIA are there?
For purposes of fees only, the FOIA divides requesters into three categories: Commercial use requesters; • News media, educational, or scientific requesters; and • All other requesters.
What is foil?
1. What is FOIL? In 1974, New York became one of the first states to enact a Freedom of Information Law, which was repealed and replaced with the current version in 1977.
How is a FOIL request determined to have been received?
Because an email may be sent at any time, a FOIL request received via email is determined to have been received on the first business day on which it was received during normal business hours. For example, if sent at noon on Sunday, an email would be deemed as received on Monday at 9 a.m.
What happens if a district does not grant a FOIL request?
If the district decides to grant the request in whole or in part but has not done so within 20 days of acknowledging receipt of the FOIL request, the district must state, in writing, the reason for the delay and give a specific date, which is reasonable under the circumstances, as to when the request will be granted in whole or in part.
What are the exemptions to the Freedom of Information Act?
(6) Exemption 6: Personal Privacy. Exemption 6 protects information in personnel, medical, or similar files, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. (7) Exemption 7: Law Enforcement Records. Exemption 7 applies to criminal, civil, and regulatory law enforcement records.