This Startup Is Using FOIA to Request Student Email Addresses

The Freedom of Information Act gives members of the public, including journalists, the ability to request documents from the government and organizations we support with our tax dollars. But at least one startup is trying to use it to harvest email addresses of current students at public universities.

Nikki Schlecker, a recruiter for Campus Job, a New York startup that works on behalf of businesses to enlist students for part-time work, has filed at least 18 FOIA requests for "a document containing the email addresses of current students" at public schools including the University of Virginia, University of California-Berkeley, Ohio State University, and University of Hawaii.

Schlecker, who is using the FOIA-made-easy tool Muckrock, also requested a fee waiver, saying the information is "in the public interest."

Startups are always thirsty for email addresses to grow their nascent user bases, and there are Silicon Valley legends of companies like Airbnb using spammy dark arts to great effec​t. So no one would be surprised to hear that a young company in "move fast and break things" mode might want to take advantage of a tool of democracy in order to solicit potential users.

And given that Schlecker also spams college Fac​ebook groups to prom​ote Campus Job, it seemed possible that the company might use email addresses gathered under FOIA to blast students with marketing material.

Schlecker denied this, however, saying Campus Job just wants the information to verify that its existing users are actively enrolled. Even though the startup requires users to sign up with a university email address, many schools allow students to keep their .edu emails after they graduate, she said in an email. "We want to ensure that people who sign up on Campus Job really are current students," she wrote.

Regardless of Campus Job's intentions, startups using FOIA to compile email lists could start a dangerous trend. About two thirds of FOIA requests are from businesses seeking information for commer​cial use, including data brokers and Hollywood researchers, according to a 2006 study by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government. That's a big drag on a system that is supposed to keep our government transparent but often leaves journalists with long waits for information that is truly in the public interest.

Unfortunately, a bill on FOIA reform just died in Cong​ress. And unfortunately for Schlecker, Ohio State University just denied her request, pointing her instead to the already-public campus directory.

​Kaleigh Rogers contributed reporting.