Legal
We built this tool to help people access government records while maintaining transparency through anonymous query tracking. Here's exactly what happens when you use this site.
FederalFOIA.com is designed to collect as little personal information as possible. We do not require you to create an account, log in, or identify yourself to use this site. While we maintain an anonymized log of generic request topics and target agencies for transparency, the information you enter into the request builder to draft your letter is never tied back to your identity.
The standard server log data automatically generated by our web hosting provider may include your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps. This information is not linked to any personal identification and is used solely for server maintenance and security purposes.
When you use the FOIA Request Builder, you provide personal information such as your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address, along with a description of the records you are requesting. This information is handled as follows:
Once your letter is generated and downloaded, no record containing your personal information or full text exists on our systems. However, to maintain a transparent record of public inquiries, the Claude API extracts a generic subject (under 10 words with all personal and private information completely omitted) and records it in a database along with the exact date, time, and target agency.
Note on AI processing: Letter and summary text are generated using the Anthropic Claude API. Input data is transmitted to Anthropic's servers for processing. Anthropic's privacy policy governs their handling of that data. We transmit only the information necessary to generate your letter and generic log entry.
We use a single session cookie to support the rate limiting function on the request builder and contact forms. This prevents automated abuse of the tools. The session cookie:
We do not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party marketing cookies.
We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymized data about how visitors use this site. Google Analytics collects information such as pages visited, time spent on the site, general geographic location (country/region level), browser type, and referring source. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally. Google Analytics uses cookies to distinguish visitors. By using this site, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner described in Google's Privacy Policy. You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
When you submit the contact form, your message and any contact information you provide is transmitted directly to our administrative inbox via secure SMTP. Contact form messages are not stored in a public database and no copy is retained on our web server beyond the email delivered to us. We use your contact information only to respond to your inquiry and never add contact form submissions to any mailing list without your explicit consent.
You may optionally sign up to receive email notifications regarding new investigative tools, letter templates, and feature releases on FederalFOIA.com. When you submit your email for feature announcements:
We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their marketing or commercial purposes. The primary third-party services involved in site operation are:
Letter generation and anonymous summary extraction are powered by the Anthropic Claude API. When you generate a request letter, the information you entered is transmitted to Anthropic's API for processing. This transmission is governed by Anthropic's privacy policy, available at anthropic.com/privacy. We transmit only the information necessary to generate your letter and public log entry.
This site is hosted on a commercial web hosting platform. Standard server log data may be retained by our hosting provider in accordance with industry security standards and their own privacy policy.
Because we do not store personal information or identifiable request content from the request builder, there is no personal data held by FederalFOIA.com to access, correct, or delete regarding your requests. The anonymized database logs contain zero personal or private information. If you have subscribed to our announcement list or submitted a contact form message and wish to have your email address permanently purged, you may unsubscribe directly or contact us, and we will promptly delete it from our records.
If you are located in California, the European Union, or another jurisdiction with specific privacy rights, please contact us and we will respond to any applicable requests to the extent data exists and those rights apply.
We will update this policy when our data practices change. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects when the policy was last revised. Continued use of the site after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
If you have questions about this privacy policy or how your information is handled, please use the contact form on this site. We will respond as promptly as possible.