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0 pointscyanydeez1y ago0 comments

Seems like you could asked for a verbally masked description? Like an enigma coda specific to the FOIA.

"Describe to me the columns, in simple non-programmatic english, and what the purpose of the table is for, for each table related to parking tickets"

Essentially a human to schema DSL That is only technically decipherable by the admin of the database. Then you're not having actual code and only the admin could decipher.

But yah, as you said, if the humans don't want to disclose their foibles, how the request is filled is technically meaningless.

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3 comments · 2 top-level

chaps1y ago· 1 in thread

I wish it were that easy easy. I'll go more into this specific question in my post, but the short answer is that FOIA does not statutorily require the creation of new records in response to a request. The gov agency creating a description of the data in response to the FOIA request would be creating new records. It's silly.

cyanydeezOP1y ago

Yeah I can see that, seems like masking isn't creating a new record, but obviously that's not how it's interpreted, because you're using the human filling out the form to interpret then return the data. FOIA typically allow for redactions and that seemingly creates new records because they have to redact things and knowing what to redact is providing masked information and that's a new record.

As such, they could claim all FOIAs that require redactions shouldn't be fulfilled because a redacted record is a new record.

Muromec1y ago

They don't do describe, as it creates the new document, which is a blind spot of FOI

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