DoS to Review Freedom of Information Act Requests, E-Mail Handling - Kerry

US Secretary of State claims that the US State Department should review its records management, including e-mails archiving, as well as how it responds to Freedom of Information Act requests and congressional inquiries.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US State Department should review its records management, including e-mails archiving, as well as how it responds to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and congressional inquiries, according to a Friday letter by US Secretary of State John Kerry to Inspector General Steve Linick.

“I am requesting that your office undertake a review of our efforts to date, and to recommend concrete ways we can improve,” Kerry said in the letter.

Kerry ordered that the State Department review in particular how it can improve its employees’ efforts to preserve documents, especially e-mails, and advance tools and methods to disclose information pursuant to FOIA and other requests.

Kerry explained that although the State Department is engaged on such issues, but it faces many challenges, including a large number of FOIA requests, integration of record-keeping technologies and the use of non-government systems by some personnel in conducting official business.

The Freedom of Information Act is used by the US public, watchdog groups and journalists to obtain information from the government.