As defined by the U.S. Government, three types of exemption codes are available for use during the redaction process: FOIA, PIA, and Statute. Exemptions are discretionary. This discretion means that an organization can decide whether or not to release records to a Requester, even after a decision has been made that the records may be withheld pursuant to one or more exemption codes. An agency has the discretion to create, edit, or delete Redaction Codes.
FOIA also requires agencies to provide a Requester with any "reasonably segregable portion" of a record after deleting the portions that are exempt from disclosure. Additionally, an agency is prohibited from withholding an entire document on the grounds that some portions of the document are exempt.
The table below lists the types of Redaction Codes, along with a brief description of each.
Redaction Code | Description |
Declassification | Declassification codes based on your agency's requirements. |
Exclusions | Congress has provided special protection in the FOIA for three narrow categories of law enforcement and national security records. The provisions protecting those records are known as "exclusions." Records falling within an exclusion are not subject to the requirements of the FOIA. Therefore, when an office or agency responds to a Request, it will limit its response to those records that are subject to the FOIA. |
FOIA | Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) codes are Redaction Codes based on the exemptions listed under the FOIA. These codes include the "Blank Exemption Code" and "Non Responsive Redaction Codes" by default. |
Other | Other Codes are special codes not grouped under FOIA or PIA groups. Other codes are used for setting the overall request disposition, as opposed to redacting part of the responsive records. |
PA | The Privacy Act (PA) codes are exemptions listed under the Privacy Act, which allows a FOIA agency to withhold information from the general public. By default, PA Codes are not populated. |
PIA | The Public Information Act (PIA) grants the public the right to access public records, while protecting the legitimate interests of the government and privacy of individual citizens. PIA Codes are defined by state governments. PIA codes are Redaction Codes that are based on exemptions listed under the Public Information Act. By default, PIA Codes are not populated. |
Statute | Statute Codes are sub-clauses for FOIA Code [b] [3]. According to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the public can request information from various organizations maintaining records of information. In response to these requests, agencies must deliver documents containing requested information. Statute Codes are defined by the U.S. Government and conceal sensitive information. In order to assert exemption 3, an agency must cite a federal statute other than the FOIA and show that (1) the statute meets either the (A) or (B) criteria of the exemption, and (2) the records at issue fit within the category of information which the statute authorizes to be withheld. |
NOTE: This is an optional module that may not be included with your implementation.
Change the Order of Redaction Codes
If you have created more than one Redaction Code, you can change the order in which they appears when applying them to redactions.
Follow the steps below to Change the Order of Redaction Codes:
Click Administration > Document Management > Redaction Codes.
Select a code from the list, then click Move Up or Move Down.
NOTE: The first Redaction code will be selected by default. The number in the Order in Annual Report field is visible on the Edit Redaction Code dialog box, and will change automatically to match the code's order in the list.
Create Redaction Code
A Redaction Code is a word or a group of characters that indicate the reason for redacting a specific piece of information. Redaction Code Groups contain related Redaction Codes. With Redaction Code Groups, you can quickly apply one or more Redaction Codes to a redacted area. New Redaction Codes can be created based on additional FOIA requirements. An agency can create Redaction Codes that differ from one agency to another.
Follow the steps below to Create a Redaction Code:
Click Administration > Document Management > Redaction Codes. The Redaction Codes screen displays as shown below.
Select a Code Type from the drop-down menu. Declassification will be selected by default and is selected to explain the steps below.
Click New. The New Redaction Code screen displays as shown below.
Enter information in the fields described below per your agency's requirements.
Field | Description |
Code | The combination of a group of letters or numbers used to identify a specific Code Type (Declassification, Exclusions, FOIA, Other, PA, PIA, and Statute). |
Court Upheld (Statute Code Type only) | The legal citation referencing the court decision upholding the Statute. |
Active | When selected, activates the Redaction Code. |
Show in Annual Report | When selected, displays the code in the Annual Report. For Other Codes, users have a choice of Standard or Other as options for where the code appears in the Annual Report. |
Do Not Count Toward Disposition | When selected, this code will not count toward the final disposition of the request |
Description | A brief description of the code. For the "Other Codes" code type, a brief description of the Request or Appeal. |
Group Name | The Redaction Code Group. |
Order in Annual Report | The order in which the Redaction Code displays in the Annual Report. |
Click Save. A verification message displays as shown below.
Click OK.
Edit Redaction Code
Users with the required Permissions can edit Redaction Code Details. However, users cannot edit the following types of Redaction Codes:
FOIA Redaction Codes (b)(1) through (b)(9)
Exclusion Redaction Codes (c)(1) through (c)(3)
Statute Codes
Other Codes (category)
Steps to Edit a Redaction Code:
Click Administration > Document Management > Redaction Codes. The Redaction Codes screen displays.
Select a Code Type from the drop-down menu. Declassification will be selected by default and is selected to explain the steps below.
Select the Redaction Code you want to edit, then click Edit. The Edit screen for the selected Redaction Code displays as shown below.
Make any necessary modifications to the Redaction Code Details.
Click Save. A verification message displays.
Click OK.
Delete Redaction Code
Users with the required Permissions can delete Redaction Codes. However, users cannot delete the following Redaction Codes:
Redaction Codes that have been applied to a document
Predefined Redaction Codes for Exclusions, FOIA, Other, and Statute
Steps to Delete a Redaction Code:
Click Administration > Document Management > Redaction Codes. The Redaction Codes screen displays.
Select a Code Type from the drop down menu. Declassification will be selected by default and is selected to explain the steps below.
Select the Redaction Code you want to delete, then click Delete. A verification message will be displayed.
Click OK.