Warning: This list may be subject to FOIA requests

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is intended to assure that the Government operates in the "sunshine" and that citizens have access to records. Requested records is required to be released unless it is exempted from release by either the Freedom of Information Act or another statute. There are eight exemptions in FOIA. If a record does not fall under one of those exemptions, it has to be released when requested.

Anyone may ask for these records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). If VA receives a FOIA request for these records, VA would review the records to determine whether they are partially or completely exempt from release under FOIA. If not, VA would be required to release the records. The decision whether VA would be required to release the records would have to be decided on a case-by-case basis as to the records in existence at the time when VA receives the FOIA request.

The courts have in hundreds of previous cases issued interpretative decisions about what the various provisions of FOIA mean. Reading the bare text of the law is not enough to understand it or to decide on an appropriate course of action because of all these court decisions.

So What if the Mail List Archive (if any) is Made Public?

We are concerned that the release of all of the postings to the list would identify security vulnerabilities in agency information systems, impact the privacy of non-Federal personnel, identify deployed personnel, reveal pre-decisional deliberative process information, and chill the free and frank discussion of issues. Therefore, please coordinate all requests for email messages and archives with your local FOIA Officer or VA's FOIA Office.

What Does This Have to Do With Me?

By remaining subscribed to this list, you agree to the following non-disclosure agreement. If you do not agree, you should unsubscribe immediately.

I understand that this list may be used to convey information that may include legal advice, For Official Use Only information, security information, and other sensitive, but unclassified information. I further understand that it is my obligation as government employee or government contractor employee to protect this information from unauthorized disclosure to non-Federal personnel (including Federal employees, and contractor employees) and that disclosure determinations will be made by the VA's FOIA Officer, the listowner, and/or VA and service legal representatives. I further understand that I am not authorized to discuss this matter in any public forum, issue press releases, or in any other way make any posting to this list public without authorization. I also understand that any unauthorized disclosure may result in administrative, civil or criminal proceedings. With these understandings, I agree to protect the information transmitted via this list from unauthorized disclosure.

What Information Should I not Post to the Discussion List?

Participants are advised not to discuss personal or sensitive data about individuals. Discussion of such matters is not appropriate. We face both malicious individuals trying to crack our systems illegally and others bent on exposing information related to those same systems through legitimate channels. Therefore, do not divulge:

  1. User authentication
  2. Password methods and procedures
  3. Security vulnerabilities identified to any system
  4. Methods that can be used to probe or crack a system
  5. Human security vulnerabilities (e.g., "my sysadmin or security officer doesn't know his head from a hole in the ground")
  6. Security fixes that you haven't or have applied to your machines
  7. Any attacks or probes of your own systems
  8. Any security flaws in any software that you use
  9. The status of your PKI implementation
  10. Anything related to SSL implementation on your systems
  11. Anything that identifies an Extranet or Intranet (non-public) site
  12. Identification of any personal information of non-Federal personnel (privacy considerations here) or family members of Federal personnel.
  13. Identification of any location where personal information on citizens or employees is stored.
  14. Identification of contractor personal information (same as above)
    15.

Please see the VA Privacy Notice for Information Collected from E-mails and Web Forms at http://www.va.gov/privacy/email.asp