Public Access to GAO Records - Records Availability
GAO reviews for release to the public only GAO-created records. See 4 CFR 81.3. GAO's ability to gain access to a vast amount of information concerning the activities of federal, state, and local government agencies; foreign governments; contractors; grantees; and private citizens requires GAO to exercise great care in releasing information to the public. To assure that GAO does not inadvertently make an unwarranted disclosure of records obtained from others, GAO refers requesters seeking these records to their source for release. See 4 CFR 81.5(a).