For your request to be dealt with according to the Freedom of Information Act, you must:contact the relevant authority directly;make the request in writing, for example in a letter or an email. ... give your real name; and.give an address to which the authority can reply.
Information/data that is NOT covered by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) includes: Non-agency records and personal records. Public requests for access to physical artifacts or scientific samples (e.g. core samples, sediment, rocks, fossils, specimen samples, blood samples).
IMPACT OF FOIA Other notable examples include: In the 1980s, activists learned after filing an FOIA request that the Environmental Protection Agency knew paper mills were discharging a toxic substance, dioxin, into rivers.
If the information you want is not publicly available, you can submit a FOIA request to the agency's FOIA Office. The request simply must be in writing and reasonably describe the records you seek. Most federal agencies now accept FOIA requests electronically, including by web form, e-mail or fax.
Recorded information includes printed documents, computer files, letters, emails, photographs, and sound or video recordings. The Act does not give people access to their own personal data (information about themselves) such as their health records or credit reference file.
Freedom of information (FOI) gives you the right to ask any public sector organisation for information they hold. Anyone can request information. You can also ask for information about yourself under data protection legislation.
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides public access to information held by public authorities. It does this in two ways: public authorities are obliged to publish certain information about their activities; and. members of the public are entitled to request information from public authorities.
Easier information access; greater public awareness of laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures; enhanced government efficiency and responsiveness; greater public participation in federal government affairs; enhanced public confidence in the federal government; and better quality information at reduced cost.
within twenty working daysUnder the statute, federal agencies are required to respond to a FOIA request within twenty working days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. This period does not begin until the request is actually received by the component that maintains the records sought.
The penalty is a fine. There are no financial or custodial penalties for failure to provide information on request or for failure to publish information. But you could be found in contempt of court for failing to comply with a decision notice, enforcement notice, or information notice.