Notice

FOIA Buddy Information

The Office of Open Records (OOR) has been contacted by numerous agencies who have received Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) requests from requesters using FOIA Buddy. The OOR has confirmed that FOIA Buddy is operated by people who have a stated goal of efficiently promoting government transparency and accountability in a cost-effective manner for all involved.  There is no indication that FOIA Buddy is part of any phishing, scraping, or scamming activities. 

The OOR cannot give specific legal advice on responding to RTKL requests that are made by or through FOIA Buddy.  As with all RTKL requests, each agency is responsible for handling the requests it receives in compliance with the RTKL and pursuant to any of its own policies and procedures that are in accordance with the RTKL.  To the extent FOIA Buddy disagrees with an agency’s response with regard to a request filed under the RTKL, it can file an appeal with the OOR.

Appeals involving FOIA Buddy have already been filed and docketed with the OOR.  Final Determinations involving FOIA Buddy can be found by visiting on the OOR’s Docket Search. As in all appeals before the OOR, an agency will be given an opportunity to meet its burden by explaining to an appeals officer why it believes any exemptions permit the withholding of any records.  

Over the past year, the OOR has received numerous inquiries about anonymous requests.  The OOR recommends that agencies review their internal policies regarding the acceptance of anonymous RTKL requests.  If an agency has decided to not accept anonymous requests, that policy should be prominently posted on an agency webpage.  Final Determinations regarding anonymous requesters may be found here:

• "Ryan" v. Cumberland County, OOR Dkt. AP 2024-0349
• "John Doe" v. Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, OOR Dkt. AP 2024-0543
• "Anonymous" v. Downingtown Area School District, OOR Dkt. AP 2023-2329