Privacy and Security Notice
FOIAonline is a web-based application supporting the United States government in its Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process.
FOIAonline is provided as a public service to improve efficiency in the government's FOIA tracking and processing which allows requesters to register as a user to:
Track progress on each request (for all participating agencies)
Communicate directly with the staff handling requests at all points in the process
Receive records electronically to eliminate mailing fees and delivery delays.
This Web site is an official United States government computer system. Information presented on this Web site is considered public information
and may be distributed or copied. Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information maintained on this Web site are strictly
prohibited and may be subject to criminal prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1995.
Information Collected and Personal Information
The FOIAonline Web site contains a compilation of FOIA requests and records. Users can search for previously released requests,
and responsive records, file requests and run select report for participating agencies. Users also can file appeals on line and communicate
with the agency processing their request. Inclusion or exclusion of material from this compilation has no independent legal significance.
Request on FOIAonline
The FOIAonline Web site also allows users to submit FOIA requests. In addition to submitting FOIA requests through this Web site,
users may submit request by additional methods identified on a Federal Department or Agency FOIA-specific Web site.
Request submitted to a Federal Department or Agency through FOIAonline are collected voluntarily and may be publicly disclosed on FOIAonline
or on third-party Web sites on the Internet.
You should be aware that requirements for submitting FOIA requests may vary by Department or Agency, and some agencies impose special requirements
for the submission of information, such as required contact information. You also may submit personally-identifying information (e.g., name, address, e-mail address)
in data fields on an Agency or Department's comment form. Any personal information included in the comment form will be submitted to the Department
or Agency to which your request is directed and may be publicly disclosed on FOIAonline or on third-party Web sites on the Internet.
To view any additional information or instructions for submitting FOIA requests, such as anonymous or sensitive submissions, refer to the FOIA-specific
Web site and/or policy of the Department or Agency. Do not submit information whose disclosure is restricted by statute, such as trade secrets and commercial
or financial information (hereinafter referred to as Confidential Business Information "CBI") to FOIAonline. Request submitted through FOIAonline cannot
be claimed as CBI. Request received through the Web site will waive any CBI claims for the information submitted. To submit CBI, follow the directions on
the FOIA-specific Web site and/or policy of the Department or Agency.
The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) protects the personal information submitted to FOIAonline and retained in the system.
The Privacy Act regulates how the government can disclose, share, provide access to, and maintain the personal information that it collects.
Not all information collected online is covered by the Privacy Act.
The Act's major provisions require agencies to:
publish a Privacy Act Notice in the Federal Register explaining the existence, character and uses of a new or revised SOR;
keep information about you accurate, relevant, timely, and complete to assure fairness in dealing with you; and
allow you to, upon request, access and review your information held in a SOR and request amendment of the information if you disagree with it.
Intended use: By submitting a FOIA request you are consenting to their use and consideration by Federal Departments and Agencies
to review and respond to your request and allow other users to search for previously released requests, and responsive records. Request you submit directly
through the FOIAonline Web site will be maintained in two different locations depending on the Agency. For Agencies listed on this site as participating in
the FOIAonline Web site, request will be stored electronically within the system. For Agencies listed as non-participating
(agencies which have not fully used the capabilities of FOIAonline), request will be sent directly to the Agency.
In both situations, the Department or Agency receiving your request is considered the official custodian of the request and will retain
your request and the responsive records according to their individual records schedule. Your request will not be considered until it has
been properly received by that Department or Agency in accordance with their requirements. Agencies also may provide additional instructions
informing you how to grant consent for use of voluntarily-provided information. To view any additional information for submitting FOIA requests,
such as anonymous or sensitive submissions, refer to the FOIA-specific Web site and/or policy of the Department or Agency. Users who want to verify
that a Department or Agency has received their request are urged to check directly with that Department or Agency.
Security: For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs
applications that monitor access to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. Therefore, this Web site does
collect summary information used for system administration and site security, including the domain name and Internet Protocol addresses from which you are
visiting; the type of browser and operating system being used to access the site; the pages you are visiting; the time you spend at each page; and the time
and date of your visit. This Web site uses this information to create summary statistics, which are then used for such things as assessing what information
is of most and least interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas. FOIAonline does not automatically
collect personal information about you or use persistent tracking technology (also referred to as "persistent cookies") to place software files or other information
on your computer.
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