FOIA Evasion Via Terminology
FOIA Evasion via Terminology refers to the practice by US government agencies of using specific technical or bureaucratic terms to classify and withhold information that would otherwise be subject to disclosure under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests using more common terminology. By maintaining parallel classification systems with distinct terminology, agencies can deny FOIA requests for "UFO" or "UAP" data while continuing to collect the same information under different designations.
Fast Walker / Slow Walker Terminology
The clearest example is the military's use of "Fast Walkers" and "Slow Walkers" to designate objects detected entering or leaving Earth's atmosphere by space-based sensors. These terms are functionally equivalent to "UFOs" or "UAPs" detected in space, but allow classification under different protocols.
According to the FASTWALKERS video, this distinction is crucial because "during an age of increasing albeit surface level UFO transparency, it allows the USG to avoid declassification/Freedom of Information Act requests for fast Walkers and slow walkers."
Pattern of Denials Using Terminological Distinction
John Greenewald of The Black Vault received denials from:
- US Space Force (2023): Cited FOIA Exception One (national security) for Fast Walker information
- US Northern Command/NORAD (2013): Stated Fast Walker data is "critical to National Defense"
Meanwhile, some UAP-related information has been disclosed under pressure, suggesting agencies treat "UAP" and "Fast Walker" as legally distinct categories even when describing the same phenomena.
Executive Order 13526 Classification Authority
All Fast Walker denials cite Executive Order 13526, which allows classification of information deemed "critical to National Defense or foreign policy." By maintaining Fast Walkers as a separate classified program with distinct terminology, agencies invoke this executive order to prevent disclosure even as they release limited information on atmospheric UAPs.
Historical Precedent
This pattern extends back decades:
- 1979: NORAD told Barry J. Greenwood and Lawrence Faucet that fulfilling their UAP tracking data request would cost $155,000 (over $500,000 today), effectively pricing civilian researchers out of access
- 1967: J. Allen Hynek revealed that all Project Blue Book UFO cases were designated as "NORAD cases," suggesting parallel classification using military terminology even during official UFO investigation
Significance
The use of specialized terminology demonstrates sophisticated information control: agencies can claim transparency on "UAP" while maintaining absolute secrecy on "Fast Walkers" — even though both terms describe unidentified objects detected in Earth's vicinity. This approach allows selective disclosure while protecting core surveillance capabilities and the most sensitive detection records.
Bob Fish's 2015 email to John Podesta — disclosed via WikiLeaks rather than official channels — bypassed this terminological barrier by using insider knowledge to identify the Defense Support Program (DSP) as the specific program collecting "hard data on unidentified flying objects." This demonstrates that terminological evasion can be circumvented by insiders willing to bridge the classification vocabulary gap.