Dive Brief:
-
The Department of Homeland Security unveiled a mobile app for Freedom of Information Act requests, the first by a federal agency.
-
The app is designed to simplify the submission process for FOIA requesters.
-
DHS has been under increasing pressure to clear a huge backlog of FOIA requests.
Dive Insight:
FOIA requests can provide companies powerful competitive information. But until now they’ve been difficult to manage and track. The Department of Homeland Security just announced they’ve developed an app that will simplify the submission process for FOIA requesters, allowing the public to submit a FOIA request to any DHS component; check the status of requests; get updates on activities, etc.
The FOIA app is the latest in a series of efforts the DHS Privacy Office has undertaken to help modernize FOIA processes following a Justice Department report claiming the department had 103,000 backlogged requests in 2014. Other federal agencies are reportedly looking into ways to modernize and simplify FOIA processes as well. For CIOs, this can mean easier access to powerful business intelligence. For example, if there’s a sealed bidding process for a contract on which your company bid but lost, a FOIA request can tell you how much the winning bidder actually bid.
