Earlier this week, we witnessed one of the more unique and unexpected reactions to the 2011 Knight Open Government Survey.
On Wednesday, PRWeb reported that the information technology consulting firm, Eskel Porter Consulting, is offering a cloud-based FOIA management software solution, Public Records Tracker. The FOIA Audit is not only mentioned in the article, but the vice president of Eskel Porter Consulting, John Schloemann, is quoted: “While the Knight Report is certainly a wake up call for federal government, it also represents an opportunity for agencies to make compliance a priority that is easily achievable.”
The marketing for Public Records Tracker claims that the product is less risky than current database systems, can automatically update to meet updated FOIA requirements, and has been approved by the General Services Administration for use by federal agencies. Schloemann superfluously claims that the affordability of Public Records Tracker is a major selling point “at a time when tax revenues are falling at the same time public information requests are on the rise.” As revealed in the Knight Survey, the government reporting on the number of public information requests are highly inconsistent. Additionally, the growth in the cost of administering FOIA has remained relatively stable over the past decade. Most importantly, this program claims to allow agencies to meet all current FOIA requirements. (more…)
