The Justice Department has launched a pilot program at seven agencies designed to test the feasibility of posting online FOIA responses so that they are available not just to the individual requester, but to the general public as well.
In a blog post, the department said the pilot will examine issues such as the costs associated with such a policy, effect on staff time required to process requests, effect on interactions with government stakeholders, and the justification for exceptions to such a policy, such as for personal privacy.
For privacy reasons, participating agencies will not post online responses to requests in which individuals seek access to information about themselves.
Agencies participating in the six-month pilot are the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the EPA, the National Archives and Records Administration, and components or offices of Defense, Homeland Security and Justice.
