Freedom of Information Act & The Privacy Act

The goal of the ODNI's Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act office is to keep the public better informed about the ODNI's efforts to ensure U.S. security through the release of as much information as possible. But because of the ODNI's need to comply with the national security laws of the United States, some documents, or portions thereof, cannot be released to the public. Nonetheless, a substantial amount of ODNI information has been or can be released following review. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), found in Section 552 of Title 5 of the United States Code, generally provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, to request access to federal agency records. FOIA requires federal agencies to produce such records when requested, provided that the records (or portions thereof) are not exempt from disclosure under limited national security exemptions.

The Privacy Act (PA), found in Section 552a of Title 5 of the United States code, balances the government's need to collect, maintain, use, and disclose personal information about individuals with the rights of those individuals to be protected against unwarranted invasions of privacy. The PA provides the right for an individual to obtain copies of records maintained on him/her if such information is not exempt from release under the provisions of the law.