Why does the FBI redact?

When the FBI releases information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the law allows it to redact classified or sensitive information from the documents.

Can you FOIA the FBI?

The Freedom of Information Act allows any person—except fugitives, federal agencies, and foreign intelligence agencies-to request information about organizations, businesses, investigations, historical events, incidents, groups or deceased persons.

Why is info redacted?

Understanding Redacted As the electronic filing of court documents is now standard practice, redaction is necessary to restrict public access to personal data, given the possibility for identity theft and other types of fraud.

What does FOIA stand for?

The Freedom of Information Act
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides public access to all federal agency records except for those records (or portions of those records) that are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions or three exclusions (reasons for which an agency may withhold records from a requester).

Does the FBI watch you?

The only times the FBI watches someone is if they are a suspect in a federal crime. So unless you have committed a crime that might warrant being investigated, no, the FBI isn’t watching you right now.

What are redacted files?

When a document is redacted, it means that certain text contained in a document filed with the Court is concealed from view for privacy protection. This is an example of how a redaction will appear on a document; with the private information concealed: .

What information is usually redacted?

Sensitive information that could be used to commit fraud or expose private information should be redacted. The following list is a general guide: Social security numbers. Driver’s license or professional license numbers.

What can be redacted in a FOIA request?

Redactions and FOIA exemptions Government agencies are permitted to “redact” or black out, documents, in part or in their entirety, if they determine the information is “exempt” from disclosure under federal law.

Why was FOIA passed?

The United States Supreme Court has explained that the, “basic purpose of FOIA is to ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed.” The “FOIA is often explained as a means for citizens to know ‘ …

What is the FBI headquarters called?

Edgar Hoover Building
Edgar Hoover Building is a low-rise office building located at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

What happens when you redact information from a document?

In other instances, if he’s instructed by the government to redact information from a document, he deletes the text and types the number of words and “deleted by the request of CIA” in its place. But manual redactions on actual paper can go awry, too.

What is inside an FBI file?

FBI files are filled with jargon, abbreviations, file numbers, codes, blacked out chunks of text, and odd little codes in the margin. Very puzzling!

What is a caption on an FBI file?

Most documents in an FBI file are titled or “captioned” with information on the file subject. A caption generally consists of three lines: the name of the subject, the character or nature of the case being investigated (often a cryptic abbreviation), and the office of origin (“OO”).

Did the director of the FBI read the messages sent to HQ?

The Director of the FBI did not personally read every one of these messages. Rather, messages sent to HQ are processed by FBI agents assigned to the office of the Director. Similarly, messages from the Director were generally written by one of his staff members.