Heavier users of FOIA requests include businesses, law firms, and individuals.

Evidence

I document the scope and nature of commercial and first-person requests here and argue that those requests largely fulfill purposes other than democratic oversight. — David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The History and…, 353 (#expands, via linked claim)

These are businesses whose very business model is to request records under FOIA and to resell those records at a profit. … At five of the six agencies at which I studied the commercial use of FOIA, information resellers were among the most frequent requesters. — David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The History and…, 359 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: FOIA is widely seen as a foundational law for citizens’ information rights. — David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The History and…, 298; Commercial requester prevalence limits FOIA’s intended use for democratic oversight.; Certain businesses profit by reselling records obtained through FOIA requests. — David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The History and…, 359 (+1 more)

Related

• Commercial requester prevalence limits FOIA’s intended use for democratic oversight. (similarity 0.94)
• Certain businesses profit by reselling records obtained through FOIA requests. (similarity 0.90)
• Commercial requests diminish the original democratic intent of FOIA. (similarity 0.81)

Library Connections

• Commercial requests diminish the original democratic intent of FOIA. #expands (0.85) — David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The History and…, 353

Broader Connections

• Certain businesses profit by reselling records obtained through FOIA requests. #expands (0.75) — David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The History and…, 359