For example, it regularly responds to name check requests from more than 70 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. These name checks, which involve searches of FBI systems, come from all quarters—from federal agencies, including offices within the FBI; from components within the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of the federal government; and from global police and intelligence partners.

In addition, the Records 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.