The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is found in Title 5 of the
United States Code, Section 552. FOIA was enacted in 1966 and gives
any person the right to request access to almost any Federal agency
record, except those protected from disclosure by legal exemptions
and exclusions (e.g., classified national security, business proprietary,
personal privacy, and investigative documents). The following resources
provide additional information on requesting information through
FOIA:
"Nothing could be more irrational than to give the people power
and to withhold from them information, without which power is abused.
A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves
with the power which knowledge gives. A popular government without
popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue
to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both." James Madison
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