Experts, lawmakers call FOIA broken.

• Position: FOIA - Freedom of Information Act

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According to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits have increased 57% since 2006. Government and tech experts say that's unacceptable and likely preventable because the technology exists to make FOIA processes easier, faster, and more transparent. But so far, such technology and improvements have been elusive.

FOIA "has become a tool of secrecy, not transparency," said David Cuillier, director of the University of Arizona's School of Journalism. "Agencies are gaming the system."

Cuillier and others told the Senate Judiciary Committee in July that instead of quick replies, proactive disclosure, and openness, agencies hide behind extensions and contend that locating records is overly time-consuming, and they heavily redact documents or deny requests, FCW.com reported.

The House has investigated FOIA responses before, and the House Oversight and Government Reform committee called the FOIA process broken in its report earlier this year. Experts say the technology that can help exists.

"Managing complex logistics is possible," said Rick Blum, director of the Sunshine in Government Initiative. He said Amazon's inventory cataloging, for example, is a technology-powered organizational tool that the government could emulate to better respond to FOIA requests.

"Digital storage and retrieval should speed government responses, not complicate and slow it down," Blum said. "Congress should reconsider the way the government captures, organizes, and stores electronic information so disclosure is built in at the front end, not the back end."

According to FCW.com, one initiative that could improve FOIA processes is the establishment of electronic e-mail record...