Gourt > Regional > North America > United States > Government > Documents > Freedom of Information
Over sixty one countries around the world have implemented some form of freedom of information legislation, which sets rules on governmental secrecy. Many more countries are working towards introducing such laws, and many regions of countries with national legislation have local laws - for example, all states of the US have access laws as well as the national legislation. In general, such laws define a legal process by which government information is available to the public; in some countries, they may only apply to journalists, or to people with a legal need for the information. In many countries there are vague constitutional guarantees for the right of access to information, but usually these are unused unless specific legislation exists to support them.
These laws may also be described as open records or (especially in the United States) sunshine laws (alluding to "letting light shine" on the process). A related concept is open meetings legislation, which allows the public access to government meetings, not just to the records of them. In many countries, privacy or data protection laws may be part of the freedom of information legislation; the concepts are often closely tied together in political discourse.
A basic principle behind most freedom of information legislation is that the burden of proof falls on the body asked for information, not the person asking for it. The requester does not usually have to give an explanation for their request, but if the information is not disclosed a valid reason has to be given.
More on [ Freedom of information legislation ]
@KarlRove They hate Fox (& you) like the IPCC guys hated the Freedom of Information Act
JHinrichs12 (JHinrichs) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:14:43 -0000
@KarlRove They hate Fox (& you) like the IPCC guys hated the Freedom of Information Act
RT @JHinrichs12: You can't blame lefties for hating Fox News....the IPCC guys hated the Freedom of Information Act..... || Good point.
b1blancer (David Tilley) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:43:41 -0000
RT @JHinrichs12: You can't blame lefties for hating Fox News....the IPCC guys hated the Freedom of Information Act..... || Good point.
You can't blame lefties for hating Fox News....the IPCC guys hated the Freedom of Information Act.....
JHinrichs12 (JHinrichs) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:42:31 -0000
You can't blame lefties for hating Fox News....the IPCC guys hated the Freedom of Information Act.....
Climate Researcher v. Freedom of Information: http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2009/08/climate_researcher_vs_foi_part.html
DDsModernLife (D. Hickerson) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:57:34 -0000
Climate Researcher v. Freedom of Information: http://blogs.nature.com/news/thegreatbeyond/2009/08/climate_researcher_vs_foi_part.html
For the freedom of speech and the free flow of information follow and support @PalestineVideo please retweet
Basalk (Bas van der Bent) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:57:13 -0000
For the freedom of speech and the free flow of information follow and support @PalestineVideo please retweet
For the freedom of speech and the free flow of information follow and support @PalestineVideo
Basalk (Bas van der Bent) Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:55:39 -0000
For the freedom of speech and the free flow of information follow and support @PalestineVideo
Wildlife Service FOIA - The Freedom of Information Act site for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
Meta Description: [ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Index page ]
Agency for Health Care Research and Quality FOI Electronic Reading Room - Freedom of Information site for the Agency, including an index to documents in the electronic reading room.
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Army in Europe Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - Site intended to assist people in making FOIA requests for US Army in Europe (USAREUR) records and to provide additional informative sources.
Bureau of Land Management FOIA Office - The BLM Freedom of Information Act Office links to frequently requested documents and reading rooms.
Centers for Disease Control FOIA Office - Freedom of Information Act Office for the Centers for Disease Control, as well as the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Included at the site are publications, resources, contractor registries and significant FOIAs.
Meta Description: [ CDC/ATSDR FOIA(Freedom of Information Act) Office ]
CIA: Frequently Requested Records - Full-text government documents from the Central Intelligence Agency Electronic Document Release Center. Topics include UFOs, Bay of Pigs, POW MIA, Guatemala, human rights, Ethel and Julius Rosenbert and other spies.
Meta Description: [ The Official Freedom of Information Act Web site of the US Central Intelligence Agency ]
Commodity Futures Trading Commission FOIA - Freedom of Information Act site for the CFTC provides links to statutes and regulations, reading room, electronic records, and frequently requested publications.
Meta Description: [ Freedom of Information Act ]
Consumer Product Safety Commission FOIA - A Freedom of Information Act office site, including an electronic reading room.
Department of Commerce FOIA - Provides basic rules and regulations, a sample letter, annual Freedom of Information reports and links to selected agency publications.
Department of Education FOIA - This office advises the public and Department of Ed employees regarding FOIA requests and information available to the public.
Meta Description: [ The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. ���� 552, was enacted in 1966 and generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. ]
Department of Energy - FOIA - Freedom of Information Act information from the DOE, including links to annual reports, reading rooms, environmental impact statements and major information systems within the agency.
Department of Homeland Security FOIA - Accessing DHS records through the Freedom of Information Act
Meta Description: [ FOIA information and resources for the Department of Homeland Security. ]
Department of Justice: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) - Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) information relating to the US Department of Justice and all federal agencies. Provides a useful reference guide and links to agency FOIA sites.
Department of Labor Freedom of Information Act - Annual reports, hot documents and links to the agency's FOI resources.
Meta Description: [ Like all federal agencies, the Department of Labor (DOL) is required under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to disclose records requested in writing by any person. ]
Department of the Interior - FOIA - Freedom of Information Act Office for the Department of the Interior, including an electronic reading room, FOIA guides and reference materials.
Meta Description: [ An informative and detailed site which contains information about the U.S. Department of the Interior's Freedom of Information Act. ]
Environmental Protection Agency FOIA - EPA's Freedom of Information Office.
Meta Description: [ EPA's Freedom of Information Office. ]
FBI - Freedom of Information Act Reading Room - Displays frequently requested documents on famous crimes and personalities released under the Freedom of Information Act.
Meta Description: [ How to request information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation ]
Federal Aviation Administration FOIA Office - Freedom of Information Act Office site from the FAA.
Meta Description: [ Please put a one or two sentence description of your page. This will be used as a summary for your page when it is found by a search engine. ]
Federal Trade Commission FOIA - FTC Freedom of Information Act office, including the agency's handbook and e-reading room.
FOI Services - Delivers documents acquired from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Over 150,000 documents are available, covering medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biologics, and foods.
Meta Description: [ Document delivery of unpublished FDA information -- pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biologics, veterinary products, all acquired under the Freedom of Information Act. ]
FOIA Group, Inc. (FGI) - FGI secures competitive information and government documents from federal, state and local sources.
HHS - Freedom of Information - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Freedom of Information site, including annual reports and frequently requested documents.
Indiana Coalition for Open Government - A broad-based, citizen-oriented organization formed to educate citizens and to protect their rights to obtain access to public records and meetings.
Meta Description: [ Indiana Coalition for Open Government is a broad-based, citizen-oriented organization formed to educate citizens and to protect their rights to obtain access to public records and meetings. ]
Internal Revenue Service FOIA - The IRS FOIA center contains links to annual reports, the electronic reading room and commonly requested publications, among other links.
NASA Headquarters FOIA - The National Aeronautical and Space Administration's Freedom of Information Act site contains links to various FOIA offices throughout the agency, as well as links to the reading room and other NASA resources.
National Archives FOIA Reading Room - Information about holdings of and use of the Research Rooms of the United States National Archives and Records Administration
Meta Description: [ The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended), generally provides any person with the statutory right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to Government information in executive branch agency records. This right to access is limited when such information is protected from ... ]
National Institute of Standards and Technology - FOIA - The NIST site for the Freedom of Information Act contains basic information about how to file a FOIA request, along with sample letters.
National Institutes of Health FOIA Office - The main FOIA site for the NIH's Institutes, Centers and Offices.
Meta Description: [ NIH Freedom of Information Act Office homepage ]
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration FOIA - NOAA's Freedom of Information Act page provides users with reports, policies and guides on accessing public information in the agency.
Meta Description: [ FOIA keywords ]
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National Park Service FOIA - Hot documents and a few other links from the National Park Service's Freedom of Information Act.
National Science Foundation FOIA and Privacy Act Requests - NSF Freedom of Information Act page has regulations, reports and handbooks about making FOIA requests, as well as commonly requested documents available online.
National Security Agency FOIA Office - The Freedom of Information Act office for the NSA, the US government eavesdropping agency, contains basic instructions on how to file FOIA requests. Included is information about records that have been released previously, as well as some past requests that could not be granted for national security reasons. Additionally, the office has a compilation of UFO-related requests that have been made which have not produced any records.
Meta Description: [ FOIA General Template Page ]
Office of Management and Budget FOIA - The White House's OMB Freedom of Information page contains links to FOIA annual reports, commonly requested reports and the agency's reading room, among other resources.
Pentagon Freedom of Information - Main site for the Pentagon's administration of the Freedom of Information Act. It provides general FOIA information nad links to other relevant Department of Defense FOIA organizations.
Meta Description: [ DefenseLink.mil - The official website of the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense, DoD, Defense, Defence, Military ]
Securities and Exchange Commission FOIA - The SEC Freedom of Information Act site explains the SEC's FOIA program and provides frequently requested documents, an electronic reading room and agency regulations.
Meta Description: [ The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. This page explains the SEC's FOIA program and explains how to request informaiton from the SEC under FOIA. ]
Small Business Administration FOIA /Privacy Act Office - The SBA Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act Office features a reading room, annual report and guide to information in the agency.
Social Security Administration FOIA - Regulations, annual reports, frequently requested documents and other resources pertaining to the Freedom of Information Act from the US Social Security Administration.
Society of Professional Journalists - Freedom of Information Resources - Resources for journalists and the public on issues involving access to government records and activities and freedom of information education, including a discussion group.
The Freedom of Information Center at the Missouri School of Journalism - Sites maintains FOI Act resources, including guides, Web links and full-text of various public record laws.
Meta Description: [ press, media, journalism, journalists, reporters, news, freedom, information, secret, documents, reports, Enron, Andersen, executive privilege, classification, declassification, right to know, Freedom of Information, Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, state FOI laws, state FOI issues, sunshine la... ]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services FOIA Office - The office that handles the USCIS has links to an electronic reference room and major information systems
U.S. Department of State FOIA Electronic Reading Room - Displays frequently requested documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA); special collections of continuing public interest; and regulations, policy statements, administrative rulings and manuals, and other reference materials.
Meta Description: [ U.S. Department of State FOIA Electronic Reading Room ]
U.S. Department of the Treasury - FOIA - Main Freedom of Information Act site for the Department of the Treasury, including an electronic reading room and a list of the agency's major information systems.
Meta Description: [ U.S. Treasury - FOIA ]
U.S. Department of Transportation FOIA - Freedom of Information Act office for the US Department of Transportation.
US Air Force FOIA - The Freedom of Information Act of the US Air Force has links to reading rooms, major information systems and a FOIA handbook.
US Coast Guard FOIA - The Freedom of Information Act office for the US Coast Guard includes an electronic reading room.
Meta Description: [ FOIA Home Page ]
US Forest Service FOIA - The Freedom of Information Act Office for the US Forest Service, including frequently requested records and a reference guide.
US Geological Service FOIA - Electronic Reading Room - The Freedom of Information Act site for the USGS contains an organization chart, an electronic directory, instructional memoranda and other FOIA resources for the agency.
Meta Description: [ FOIA Electronic Reading Room ]
US Navy FOIA - The Navy Freedom of Information Act page contains links to a FOIA handbook, reading rooms, points of contacts and resource materials.
US Patent and Trademark Office FOIA - The USPTO Freedom of Information Act office maintains an electronic reading room and regulations on its web site.
Meta Description: [ USPTO Trademark links ]
Veterans Affairs FOIA Center - Main page for the VA's Freedom of Information Act information, providing access to annual FOIA reports and an electronic reading room.
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