Freedom of Information Act

Extracted Attributes

• Purpose

  Grants public right to access government-held data

• Category

  Legal Framework

• Principle

  Presumption of openness in responding to requests

• Global Context

  Part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Target 16.10)

• Scope (US FOIA)

  Records of the Executive Branch of the United States Government

• Alternative Names

  Access to Information Acts, sunshine laws, open records

• Exemptions (US FOIA)

  Nine categories, including national security, personal privacy, law enforcement, trade secrets

• Legal Basis (US FOIA)

  5 U.S.C. § 552

Timeline

• Administrative Procedure Act (APA) Section 3 enacted, which gave agencies broad discretion concerning publication of governmental records. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1946

• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) enacted, amending Section 3 of the APA as a standalone act to promote transparency. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1966

• Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) became effective, providing the public with the right to request access to federal agency records. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1967

• OPEN Government Act passed, introducing new laws to strengthen FOIA. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2007

• President Obama issued a Memorandum Concerning the Freedom of Information Act, directing agencies to apply a presumption of openness. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2009-01-21

• Attorney General issued a Memorandum Concerning the Freedom of Information Act, emphasizing cooperation with requesters. (Source: Web Search Results)

  2009-03-19

• Discussion on the All-In Podcast about strengthening the Freedom of Information Act as part of Donald Trump's proposed government reform agenda following his election victory. (Source: Related Documents)

  2024

Freedom of information laws by country

Freedom of information laws allow access for the general public to data held by national governments and, where applicable, by state and local governments. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatisfaction with the secrecy surrounding government policy development and decision making. In recent years the term "Access to Information Act" has also been used. Such laws establish a "right-to-know" legal process by which requests may be made for government-held information, to be provided at little or no cost, barring standard exceptions. Also variously referred to as open records, or sunshine laws (in the United States), governments are typically bound by a duty to publish and promote openness. In many countries there are constitutional guarantees of the right of access to information, but these are usually unused if specific support legislation does not exist. Additionally, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 has a target to ensure public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms as a means to ensure accountable, inclusive and just institutions.

Web Search Results

• Freedom of Information Act (United States) - Wikipedia

  The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA /ˈfɔɪjə/ FOY-yə), 5 U.S.C. § 552, is the United States federal freedom of information law that requires the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased or uncirculated information and documents controlled by the U.S. government upon request. The act defines agency records subject to disclosure, outlines mandatory disclosure procedures, and includes nine exemptions that define categories of information not subject to disclosure. The act was intended [...] As indicated by its long title, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was moved from its original home in Section 3 of the Administrative Procedure Act "Administrative Procedure Act (United States)") (APA). Section 3 of the APA, as enacted in 1946, gave agencies broad discretion concerning the publication of governmental records. Following concerns that the provision had become more of a withholding than a disclosure mechanism, Congress amended the section in 1966 as a standalone act to [...] to make U.S. government agencies' functions more transparent so that the American public could more easily identify problems in government functioning and put pressure on Congress, agency officials, and the president to address them. The FOIA has been changed repeatedly by both the legislative and executive branches.

• The History of the Freedom of Information Act and the TTB

  The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives any person the right to request access to records of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. The records requested must be disclosed unless they are protected from disclosure by any of the nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. Sec. 552, enacted in 1966, is a federal statute that provides the public with the right to request access [...] New laws, like the OPEN Government Act of 2007, as well as new policies, such as President Obama's Memorandum Concerning the Freedom of Information Act (January 21, 2009)and the Attorney General's Memorandum Concerning the Freedom of Information Act (March 19, 2009), directed agencies to apply a presumption of openness in responding to FOIA requests. The Attorney General emphasized that the President has called on agencies to work in a spirit of cooperation with FOIA requesters. The Attorney

• Freedom of Information Act: Learn - FOIA.gov

  Since 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Federal agencies are required to disclose any information requested under the FOIA unless it falls under one of nine exemptions which protect interests such as personal privacy, national security, and law enforcement. [...] FOIA Since 1967 the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public with access to federal agency records. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens “in the know” about their government. The FOIA requires agencies to proactively post online certain categories of records and it provides the public with the right to request access to records from any federal agency. For any record subject to the FOIA, federal agencies are required to disclose the record except to the [...] of the FOIA.

• Freedom of Information Act | U.S. Department of the Treasury

  The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) gives any person the right to request access to records of the Executive Branch of the United States Government. The records requested must be disclosed unless they are protected by one or more of the exempt categories of information found in the FOIA. Records that, generally, may be protected from disclosure are: Properly classified material; limited kinds of purely internal matters; matters exempt from disclosure by other statutes; trade secrets or [...] Notwithstanding the above protections, the FOIA requires Federal agencies to provide the fullest possible disclosure of information to the public. Administrative and judicial remedies are available to those persons denied access to records. Treasury has designated John W. York, Assistant Secretary for Management, as the Chief Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer. Treasury FOIA Regulations, 31 CFR Part 1, Subpart A Submit a Request Check the Status of an Online Request [...] Freedom of Information Act | U.S. Department of the Treasury =============== Skip to main content Image 1: U.S. flag An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Here’s how you know Image 2: Dot gov Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Image 3: Https Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

• Freedom of Information Act: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  FOIA Since 1967 the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has provided the public with access to federal agency records. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens “in the know” about their government. The FOIA requires agencies to proactively post online certain categories of records and it provides the public with the right to request access to records from any federal agency. For any record subject to the FOIA, federal agencies are required to disclose the record except to the [...] Protects records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes, but only to the extent that the production of such law enforcement records or information: [...] Agency The FOIA applies to federal agencies, which are defined as any executive department, military department, Government corporation, Government controlled corporation, or other establishment in the executive branch of the Government (including certain offices in the Executive Office of the President), or any independent regulatory agency. The FOIA does not apply to the Judicial Branch (Courts) or the Legislative Branch (Congress). It also does not apply to state and local governments.

• Instance Of

  Q4167410