Celebrated Cajun chef Paul Prudhomme found himself in hot water for accidentally bringing a loaded firearm to the airport on more than one occasion, according to his FBI file.

Heading to New Orleans for #ONA2019 and not sure what to wear in Louisiana in the fall? Well, you’re in luck. The Society of Former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation had their annual conference in NOLA in 1972, and their official publication, “The Grapevine,” has you covered. Literally.

In a Federal Bureau of Intelligence bulletin dated May 30th, 2019, the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office warned that it was “Very Likely” that “Fringe Political Conspiracy Theories” such as Pizzagate and QAnon would eventually motivate its adherents to violence. Somewhat surprisingly, the bulletin later goes on to concede that the conspiratorial mindset underpinning such theories may be influenced by “the illegal, antidemocratic, or harmful activities by high level government officials and political elites” - also known as actual conspiracies.

Environmental activist Judi Bari’s Federal Bureau of Investigation file contains fake press releases, the FBI’s take on the Civil Rights movement, and a redacted description of The Nation magazine.

The largest city in the country seemed ready to create a framework to follow. But the final NYC Automated Decision Systems Task Force report, released last month, concluded that quick answers wouldn’t be available for addressing questions of fairness and accountability, even when trying to define ADS itself.

An interim report released earlier this month by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence says the U.S. will lose important advantages in defense, human resources, and the economy if it doesn’t cooperate with industry and academia to prioritize progress in AI research and development.

Law enforcement agencies nationwide are using predictive policing software, yet almost none of their users, past or present, have clear measures for how effective or accurate they are.

When undercover officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office bought crack cocaine from someone in 2015, they couldn’t actually identify the seller. Less than a year later, though, Willie Allen Lynch was sentenced to 8 years in prison, picked through a facial recognition system. His case — and others like it — could reshape the limits placed on AI.

The weekly roundup of the latest in FOI. See something we missed? Let us know!

In January, amendments made under recent Texas legislation will go into effect, strengthening the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) and addressing court-created obstacles to accessing contractor information within the state.

Spook up your Halloween with a dip into the dark side of FOIA courtesy of the federal government’s own numbers.

Appeals are a critical tool for records requesters who want government agencies to cough up their secrets, but what if an agency puts up its defense before you even know you’re in a disclosure fight?

It’s likely most Americans have never heard of Clearview AI, Inc., but many still have a good chance of being in the company’s massive facial recognition database.

Across the country, facial recognition technology is being quietly acquired and used by government agencies of all sizes, but the full extent of police departments and agencies accessing or using the technology remains unknown. MuckRock and Open the Government want to change that.

MuckRock and Open the Government sending public records requests about facial recognition technology to hundreds of police agencies across the country. There’s lots more to do, however, so we put together a guide on doing your own investigations.

Irregular billing, rapidly increasing water and sewer rates, overflowing sewage - despite efforts to address the issues, residents throughout DeKalb County, Georgia remain dissatisfied and overcharged. Are you one of them? Let us know.

The Department of Watershed Management provides water service to more than 700 thousand people in DeKalb County, Georgia. Many of them have suffered the system’s failures in the last decade. Are you one of them? Let us know.