§ 1901.21 - Processing requests for access to or amendment of records.

§ 1901.21 Processing requests for access to or amendment of records.

(a) In general. Requests meeting the requirements of 32 CFR 1901.11 through 1901.13 shall be processed under both the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, and the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a, and the applicable regulations, unless the requester demands otherwise in writing. Such requests will be processed under both Acts regardless of whether the requester cites one Act in the request, both, or neither. This action is taken in order to ensure the maximum possible disclosure to the requester.

(b) Receipt, recording and tasking. Upon receipt of a request meeting the requirements of §§ 1901.11 through 1901.13, the Agency shall within ten (10) days record each request, acknowledge receipt to the requester, and thereafter effect the necessary taskings to the components reasonably believed to hold responsive records.

(c) Effect of certain exemptions. In processing a request, the Agency shall decline to confirm or deny the existence or nonexistence of any responsive records whenever the fact of their existence or nonexistence is itself classified under Executive Order 12958 or revealing of intelligence sources and methods protected pursuant to section 103(c)(5) of the National Security Act of 1947. In such circumstances, the Agency, in the form of a final written response, shall so inform the requester and advise of his or her right to an administrative appeal.

(d) Time for response. Although the Privacy Act does not mandate a time for response, our joint treatment of requests under both the Privacy Act and the FOIA means that the Agency should provide a response within the FOIA statutory guideline of ten (10) days on initial requests and twenty (20) days on administrative appeals. However, the current volume of requests require that the Agency often seek additional time from a requester pursuant to 32 CFR 1901.33. In such event, the Agency will inform the requester in writing and further advise of his or her right to file an administrative appeal.