Your Right To Federal Records

Use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act to obtain records from the federal government.

The Freedom of Info. Act (FOIA), enacted in 1966, provides that any person has the right to request access to fed. agency records or info. Fed. agencies are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except for those records that are protected from disclosure. In 1996, Congress revised the FOIA by passing the Electronic Freedom of Info. Act Amend., which provide for public access to info. in an electronic format. The Privacy Act of 1974 is another fed. law regarding fed. gov't. records or info. about individuals. This handbook provides basic guidance about the FOIA & the Privacy Act to assist people in exercising their rights. It uses a Q&A format to present info. about these laws in a clear, simple manner. Illustrations.

Use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act to obtain records from the federal government.

The "Overview of the Privacy Act of 1974," prepared by the Department of Justice's Office of Privacy and Civil Liberties (OPCL), is a discussion of the Privacy Act's disclosure prohibition, its access and amendment provisions, and its agency recordkeeping requirements. Tracking the provisions of the Act itself, the Overview provides reference to, and legal analysis of, court decisions interpreting the Act's provisions.