DHS Deploys AI to Recommend FOIA Redactions as CBP Adopts Google Tools
Summary
The Department of Homeland Security deploys AI to recommend Freedom of Information Act redactions for up to 140,000 requests by September, while Customs and Border Protection adopts Google tools to flag sensitive material, with employees required to review every recommendation.
Key Points
- The Department of Homeland Security is deploying AI to recommend FOIA redactions, targeting request categories representing roughly 100,000 to 140,000 submissions by the end of September.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to use Google AI and machine-learning tools to identify sensitive material for FOIA officers, while DHS says employees will review every recommendation.
- A 2022 study led by former National Archives litigation director Jason R. Baron finds AI redaction methods achieve about 70 percent accuracy across more than 3,000 paragraphs, including improper recommendations to withhold and release information.