FOIA Requests Rise More Than Ten-Fold Following NSA Leaks

FOIA requests have spiked more than 1,054 percent after Edward Snowden’s leaks revealed top-secret spy programs run by the NSA and FBI. Some may say that Snowden’s actions have done little to change the controversial intelligence operations. However, these new FOIA, or Freedom of Information Act, request numbers show that if nothing else it resulted in an increased scrutiny of the NSA by the American public.

MuckRock recently got access to an internal memo from the NSA detailing the spike in FOIA requests filed at the agency. In a three-month period, from June to September, the NSA had 3,382 records requests. This is more than ten-times the number of requests made in 2012 during the same period. Then, only 293 record requests were filed with the NSA.

Former NSA private contractor Edward Snowden’s largest leaks came in late May. The giant FOIA request spike at the agency was, without a doubt, prompted by the information made public by Snowden. The 1,054 percent increase in request applications is likely record-setting.

The height of NSA FOIA requests peaked after Snowden’s largest bombshells in May. Even so, MuckRock’s internal NSA memo says the filings are still “much higher than normal.” The intelligence agency is still working through a backlog of requests.

In May former Booz Allen Hamilton contractor Edward Snowden shared sensitive details with the press about secret US spy programs. Considered the largest US intelligence leak since the Pentagon Papers, the news has sparked debates about privacy and security at home and abroad. Snowden’s leaks include details about NSA monitoring of social media and electronic communications between US citizens and foreign citizens.

Any US citizen can file FOIA requests, but doing so isn’t free, as MuckRock’s handy guide points out.

With FOIA requests rising more than ten-fold in recent times, it’s clear that if nothing else, Snowden’s exposure of controversial top-secret NSA programs has interested a number of parties.

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