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If you submit a FOIA request on yourself you will probably be denied. FOIA Requests are only for organizations, businesses, investigations, historical events,

If you submit a FOIA request on yourself you will probably be denied. FOIA Requests are only for organizations, businesses, investigations, historical events, incidents, groups, or deceased persons. Privacy Act Requests are for yourself. You must include Form DOJ-361 or equivalent when submitting.

tsaoutourpants 12y ago
No. Just no. Please don't take the comment above as valid legal advice.
- codewiz 12y ago
  Did you spot a specific issue, or are you just opposed to any form of legal advice given on HN?
  - smackfu 12y ago
    Well, it would be nice if they cited something, rather than just making general statements that may or may not be true.
- themagician 12y ago
  Um, it's not really "legal advice". That's just how it is. It's not rocket science. Here's what the FBI has to say about the issue: http://www.fbi.gov/foia/requesting-fbi-records http://www.fbi.gov/foia/requesting-fbi-records The CIA, NSA, an just about every other agency have the same information on their site. It's also on Wikipedia.
chii 12y ago
> FOIA Requests are only for organizations, businesses, so if i create a company/business, then i can do the exact same request and it will not be denied? I don't understand the difference between an individual vs a business (which is owned, and presumably, act in the interest, of the individual).
- themagician 12y ago
  As I understand it, FOIA requests on living individuals will be denied. If you create a business, and there is a file on that business, and you send a FOIA request it will be acknowledged… but odds are they won't have anything on the entity. FOIA requests are not magic. It's just a way for people to see things like declassified National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs). If you send a FOIA request on a living individual you usually get either denied outright or sent back documents that are completely redacted to respect the privacy of that individual (even if that individual is you). This is what Privacy Act requests are for.

tsaoutourpants 12y ago

No. Just no. Please don't take the comment above as valid legal advice.

codewiz 12y ago
Did you spot a specific issue, or are you just opposed to any form of legal advice given on HN?
- smackfu 12y ago
  Well, it would be nice if they cited something, rather than just making general statements that may or may not be true.
themagician 12y ago
Um, it's not really "legal advice". That's just how it is. It's not rocket science. Here's what the FBI has to say about the issue: http://www.fbi.gov/foia/requesting-fbi-records http://www.fbi.gov/foia/requesting-fbi-records The CIA, NSA, an just about every other agency have the same information on their site. It's also on Wikipedia.

chii 12y ago

> FOIA Requests are only for organizations, businesses, so if i create a company/business, then i can do the exact same request and it will not be denied? I don't understand the difference between an individual vs a business (which is owned, and presumably, act in the interest, of the individual).

themagician 12y ago
As I understand it, FOIA requests on living individuals will be denied. If you create a business, and there is a file on that business, and you send a FOIA request it will be acknowledged… but odds are they won't have anything on the entity. FOIA requests are not magic. It's just a way for people to see things like declassified National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs). If you send a FOIA request on a living individual you usually get either denied outright or sent back documents that are completely redacted to respect the privacy of that individual (even if that individual is you). This is what Privacy Act requests are for.