How do I find more information out about FOIA requests?
Also, in your post I think you mentioned "FOIA junkies" or something along those lines, this implies to me there's a community of people who understand this stuff and talk about it. That sounds really interesting to join. Is there a subreddit or something?
Muckrock.com is a wonderful source of information as a starting point. It has many, many, many requests publicly online. They also run documentcloud.org, which has many millions of documents received through FOIA.
There are definitely groups out there that have collectively caught the "FOIA bug". It's a very fun culture of sharing and holding those in power accountable when they otherwise wouldn't be. I recommend just submitting a random request to a random agency about something you're interested as another alternative starting point. What tends to happen, amusingly, is that once someone submits their first, then something kinda clicks in their head and they submit another, then another... then they sue. It's all very organic and it's very uplifting to see someone grow in this field. We generally try to do our best to teach others what we've learned (tactics, strategy, wording, techniques, etc). So if you pick something up, definitely share the love.
Thank you for all of this! I chuckled at "... then they sue. It's all very organic and it's very uplifting" out of context lol
This stuff is really interesting to me for sure! I guess my biggest concerns are kind of just a generic paranoia about "getting on some list" and also the kind of thing that happened in the article. They send you too much info then suddenly are threatening you and are asking to scan your hard drive. Not saying I'm deterred but dealing with government feels like a kind of frightening task at times for some reason!
