FOIA "Backlog Buster" Redaction Engine

The FOIA Redaction Engine reviews responsive records before your analysts do: it removes duplicates, threads email and proposes redactions for personal information and controlled unclassified information, each with a suggested exemption and the reason it was flagged. Analysts accept, reject or change every proposal, so their time goes on judgment rather than on searching pages. Nothing is released until a person has decided every redaction and a second reviewer has checked the set.

The problem it solves

Most of the effort in a FOIA response goes into line-by-line review of records that are repetitive, long and full of personal details. Backlogs grow when the same email appears many times, when scans are hard to read, and when redactions on one copy of a record are not carried to the others.

Who it’s for

• FOIA officers and analysts who review and redact records
• FOIA public liaisons and program managers who track backlogs
• Agency counsel who advise on exemptions and defend responses in litigation
• Records managers who supply collections and retention guidance
• Privacy officers who oversee Privacy Act requests and disclosures

1. IngestResponsive records are loaded from collection and e-discovery exports: documents, PDFs, scans and email.
2. De-duplicate and threadExact and near-duplicates are grouped and email is threaded, so each record is reviewed once and redacted consistently.
3. First passThe engine proposes redactions for personal information and marked or likely controlled unclassified information, with a suggested exemption and the reason for each.
4. Review and releaseAnalysts decide each proposal, a second reviewer checks the set, and the release package and exemption log are produced.

Proposed redactions

Names, contact details, identifiers and other personal information highlighted with the reason, for an analyst to accept or reject.

CUI detection

CUI markings and likely controlled information flagged for review, including when markings are inconsistent.

Suggested exemptions

Each proposal comes with a suggested exemption, such as (b)(6), that the analyst confirms or changes.

Consistent redaction

A decision on one copy of a record is applied to its duplicates, and differences between copies are flagged.

Email threading

Conversations reviewed from their most complete message, so earlier messages are not reviewed again.

Search across the set

Find every occurrence of a name, number or phrase across a request and redact it in one action, after review.

Custom terms

Agency-specific terms, such as internal system names or case identifiers, added to the list of things to flag.

Exemption log

Each redaction with its exemption and justification, exportable for the response letter and any litigation.

Second-level review

A quality check by a second reviewer before release, recorded in the audit trail.

Burned-in release

Redactions removed from the text and metadata of released files, not just covered.

Audit trail

Who proposed, accepted, rejected or changed each redaction, and when.

Accessible release files

Released PDFs keep searchable text for the unredacted content, to support Section 508 obligations for public posting.

FOIA analyst

Reviews proposed redactions, adds their own, applies exemptions and prepares records for second review.

Senior analyst or reviewer

Performs second-level review, returns records with comments and approves the set for release.

FOIA officer or program manager

Assigns requests, follows progress across the team and approves release packages.

Agency counsel

Reviews records and exemption decisions where legal advice is needed, with read and comment access.

Administrator

Manages users and roles, custom term lists, exemption lists and integrations.

Auditor

Read-only access to the audit trail and exemption logs.

Collection and e-discovery

Load files, native documents, PDFs and email exports from the tools your agency uses to collect records.

Email archives

Mailbox exports in standard formats, threaded on import.

FOIA case management

Release packages and status passed back to your request-tracking system through the Work API or export.

Records management

Released and withheld records filed to your records system with their disposition.

Agency sign-in

Single sign-on through your agency identity provider, including PIV/CAC where your provider supports it.

Public reading room

Released files exported in a form ready for posting to your agency's FOIA library.

Work API

Request, review and redaction data available to your reporting tools.

Records kept in the United States

Records and review data are hosted in the United States region.

Cleared support lane

Support tickets from federal clients are routed only to US citizens with active security clearances.

Access by role

Analysts see only the requests assigned to them or their team; administrators set who can approve releases.

Encryption under controlled keys

Client data is encrypted with keys our staff cannot access without explicit, time-bound authorization.

Complete audit trail

Every view, proposal, decision and export recorded with the user and time.

Independent audits

Moraph's controls are covered by its SOC 2 Type II report and ISO/IEC 27001 certification, available through the Trust Center.

Moraph cloud, United States

Hosted in the United States region, with records kept in the US.

Dedicated environment

A single-tenant environment for agencies that require isolation, scoped in the proposal.

With a managed service

Optionally run alongside a Moraph managed service for administration, term-list maintenance and integration support.

Discovery

We review your current FOIA process, collection tools, case management and release practice with your FOIA office.

Exemptions and terms

Your exemption list, standard justifications and agency-specific terms to flag are configured with your analysts and counsel.

Roles and approvals

Roles, teams and the second-review and release approvals are set to match your process.

Integrations

Imports from your collection tools and exports to case management and records systems are set up and tested.

Trial on closed requests

The engine is run on records from requests you have already answered, so your team can compare its proposals with their own decisions.

Training and handover

Analysts, reviewers and administrators are trained, and administrators receive runbooks for maintaining terms and settings.

• It proposes; it never releases. Every redaction is accepted by a person, and exemption decisions belong to your agency.
• It can miss information, especially context-dependent material such as deliberative content under (b)(5). Analysts remain responsible for a complete review.
• Handwriting, poor-quality scans and some file types reduce detection accuracy and need closer human review.
• Moraph holds no FedRAMP authorization for this product. We provide control documentation to support your agency's own authorization decision.
• It is not designed for classified information. Records containing classified material must be handled outside it under your agency's procedures.
• Audio and video redaction is not included.
• It is not a request-tracking system. It works alongside your FOIA case management.
• Consultations and referrals to other agencies are managed in your existing process; the engine can export records for them.

• How do the engine's proposals compare with your analysts' decisions on a closed request?
• How does it handle your most common record types, including scans and long email threads?
• How are duplicates grouped, and how easily can an analyst split a group?
• How are CUI markings and unmarked controlled content flagged?
• What does the exemption log look like, and does it meet your counsel's needs?
• How would it connect to your collection tools and FOIA case management?