Processing FOIA Requests with AI
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1966 that gives the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is intended to promote transparency and accountability in government by allowing individuals, journalists, and organizations to obtain information about government activities and decision-making.
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Key Aspects of the FOIA
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Under the FOIA, anyone can request access to federal agency records or information, with certain exceptions.
Agencies are required to disclose information unless it falls under one of seven specific exemptions:
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National security and defense information
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Trade secrets and confidential business information
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Internal agency rules and practices
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Personal privacy matters
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Law enforcement investigations
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Financial institution reports
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Other areas involving legal and privileged communications
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Any person, including U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, organizations, or businesses, can make a FOIA request.
A FOIA request must be made in writing and should clearly describe the records sought. Each federal agency handles its own FOIA requests and has a designated FOIA office that processes requests. Agencies are typically required to respond within 20 business days.
While making a FOIA request is generally free, agencies can charge fees to cover the cost of processing the request, including search, review, and duplication costs. Some fee waivers are available for requests in the public interest. Overall, the FOIA plays a crucial role in ensuring that the workings of the federal government are open to public scrutiny, fostering democratic accountability.
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AI Management of FOIA Requests
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NSS partners with Supervity to leverage their Agentic AI platform process FOIA requests. The Supervity AI Agent understands, evaluates, and transforms data into context with existing business processes, data, and documentation and seamlessly integrates with a multitude of applications. The Supervity AI Agent leverages "AI Understanding" to handle exceptions, optimize the process, self-heal, and make decisions expertly.
The FOIA AI Agent receives the FOIA request, gathers details from the request, compare it to request requirements, and makes a determination as to the compliancy of the request and the release of requested information. The FOIA AI Agent then shares findings and the recommendation with the reviewing officer or analyst. The FOIA AI Agent can also update the requestor with the status of their request or with a request for additional information. Below is the process the FOIA AI Agent follows:​​
The FOIA AI Agent can also be integrated to information and data sources to pull the relevant requested information once the FOIA request is approved.
See the video demo above to see the FOIA AI Agent in action. Reach out to us if you'd like to see a live demonstration!