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About the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
How to Make a FOIA Request 
Government Guidance, Directives and Statistics on FOIA
International FOIA

 

The Freedom of Information Act - Summary

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which can be found in Title 5 of the United States Code, section 552, was signed into law in 1966 and provides that any person has the right of access to federal agency records or information.  The law carries a presumption of disclosure; the burden is on the government—not the public—to substantiate why information may not be released.  Upon written request, agencies of the United States government are required to disclose those records, unless they can be lawfully withheld from disclosure under one of nine specific exemptions in the FOIA.  This right of access is ultimately enforceable by filing a complaint in federal court.

The federal FOIA does not, however, provide access to records held by the US Congress, nor that of the federal judiciary.  Nor does it provide access to records of state or local government agencies, or those held by private businesses or individuals.  Each state and the District of Columbia have statutes governing public access to their records.

The 1996 EFOIA Amendments to the Freedom of Information Act require each agency to post on their agency website guides to making requests under the FOIA to that agency.  An agency can only respond to requests for records it has created.  For more information about filing an FOIA request, see How to Make a FOIA Request.

Acknowledgment: (US Department of Justice Website)

 

About the National Security ArchiveSearch the Archive WebsiteArchive NewsDeclassified Documents OnlineArchive PublicationsFreedom of Information ActInternship OpportunitiesDoing Research at the Archive