Request for Email Metadata (Information Technology)

Matt Chapman filed this request with the Information Technology of Huntington, WV.
Multi Request Request for Email Metadata
Status
Completed
Tags

Communications

From: Matt Chapman


To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act, I hereby request the following records:

For all email accounts under the management of this city, please provide me the following information for all emails sent and received during January, 2019:

1. From address
2. To address
3. bcc addresses
4. cc addresses
5. Time
6. Date

E-mail metadata is trivially exportable from the IT infrastructure of any modern e-mail archiving or data retention system - such as Microsoft Outlook 365, Google, Datacove, etc. - and should be deliverable in a .CSV, .XLS, or other machine readable format.

Please note that I am not requesting the contents of each email. E-mail metadata does not include the contents of the specified e-mails, thus do not need individual review for redaction.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Matt Chapman - Free Our Info, NFP

From: Information Technology

We are communicating with our IT specialist concerning the request. The
City of Huntington does not utilize an email system that can readily
identify and segregate the information that you seek. Our email system is
managed by WVNet, and it is my understanding that the system is less than
user friendly. Nevertheless, we are working on your request. We reserve
the right under W.Va. Code Sec. 29B-1-1 et. seq. to withhold certain
information that is exempt or to otherwise object to the scope of the
request.

Scott A. Damron, City Attorney

City of Huntington

800 Fifth Avenue

Huntington, WV 25701

(304)696-4480 Ext. 2016

damrons@cityofhuntington.com

From: Matt Chapman

If there is a SQL database that contains the information, then I would kindly like to ask that a SQL query be used to procure the information for this request.

Thank you -
Matt Chapman
Free Our Info, NFP

From: Information Technology

We have made an inquiry into the ways in which we can obtain the email
metadata that you have requested. Our IT staff has informed me that in
order to respond to your request, it would require pulling and reviewing
each individual email, because our email server does not provide the
capability to compile email metadata as you suggest. It would also be
necessary to determine which responsive material is exempt. Our IT staff
tells me that it would take a massive amount of hours to complete this
project, and we do not have the staff to complete it. We therefore consider
the request to be overly burdensome. Pursuant to our F.O.I.A. policy
(attached) we may retain a third party service to obtain the information at
your expense. If you wish to pursue this request, please advise, and we
will get an estimate. We will require the payment of the estimate prior to
contracting for the service.

From: Matt Chapman

Yes, I would greatly appreciate an estimate. Thank you!

From: Information Technology

I will be on vacation from July 24th through August 6th. I will have
limited access to my email, but I will check periodically. I will respond
timely if it appears that it is necessary to do so while I am gone.

Scott A. Damron, City Attorney
damrons@cityofhuntington.com
City of Huntington
P.O. Box 1659
City Hall, Room 4
800 Fifth Avenue
Huntington, WV 25717
(304)696-5540 Ext. 2016

From: Matt Chapman

Hi - this request has been pending for a long time now. Are there any updates?

From: Information Technology

To whom it may concern,

Please be advised that the City is attaching the above documents in response to the Freedom of Information Act request for all emails sent and received during January 2019. Thank you.

Erica K. Briggs
Assistant City Attorney
City of Huntington
P.O. Box 1659
Huntington, WV 25717
briggse@huntingtonwv.gov

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