Search Does Not Work: Maybe, Sometimes
August 23, 2015
I read “Feds Keep Magically Finding Documents They Insisted Didn’t Previously Exist.” I noted that the US government struggles with finding content, if the article is on the money. I learned:
Gawker had sought the email communications of Hillary Clinton deputy Philippe Reines, focused on his conversations with journalists. The State Department came back with a no responsive records reply, which was clearly bullshit, since Reines was known for regularly emailing reporters. So Gawker sued and guess what just happened: the State Department just magically found 17,855 emails that are likely responsive. How about that?
Obviously the US government is not aware of the search systems which can find documents. But what if the US government has these systems. Isn’t the finding issue an indication that basic search and retrieval does not work? Interesting thought.
Stephen E Arnold, August 23, 2015
Comments
-
- Subscribe to Beyond Search
Feature archive
News archive
-
