For example, it regularly responds to name check requests from approximately 50 authorized federal agencies to determine whether a specific individual has been the subject of or mentioned in any FBI investigation, and if so, what—if any—relevant information may be disseminated to the requesting agency. The NNCP also conducts name searches in direct support of the counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and homeland security efforts of the FBI.

In addition, the Information Management Division responds to a large number of Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act requests every year from the news media, citizens, and others around the world. It also maintains a high-tech electronic reading room called the Vault, which contains nearly 7,000 FBI records and other media scanned from paper into digital copies so they can be read and searched from any computer, anywhere.