FOIA
Government disclosure law
FOIA is the Freedom of Information Act, a U.S. law requiring federal agencies to disclose records upon request unless they fall under specific exemptions.
The acronym functions as shorthand in journalism and legal contexts: I filed a FOIA request for the emails.
To FOIA something is to request it through this process: We FOIAed the budget documents.
Formal act of seeking
- documentsFormal written records
- recordsStored data or albums
- releaseTo let go
- disclosureAct of revealing information
filing · processing · fees · deadline · search · appeal · response · denial
Obscuring sensitive text
- classifiedRestricted from disclosure
- exemptionRelease from requirement
- privacyFreedom from observation
- confidentialityQuality of protecting secrets
national security · law enforcement · trade secrets · personal privacy · withholding · protected · sensitive · privilege
State of being see-through
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- sunshineDirect rays from above
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
- watchdogGuard or monitor
journalism · investigative · media · public interest · oversight · whistleblower · leak · expose
Power to act
- federalDivided governmental authority
- complianceAdhering to requirements
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- public recordsOfficially filed, publicly accessible documents
archives · declassification · administrative · state department · FBI · CIA · DOJ · reading room
Legal dispute process
- lawsuitCivil court proceeding
- appealFormal review request
- judicial reviewCourts invalidating unconstitutional acts
- standingPosition, physical or social
plaintiff · defendant · jurisdiction · court order · in camera · discovery · injunction · attorney fees
request
Formal act of seeking
disclosure · filing · processing · fees · deadline · search · appeal · response · denial · partial
redaction
Obscuring sensitive text
- classifiedRestricted from disclosure
- exemptionRelease from requirement
- privacyFreedom from observation
confidentiality · national security · law enforcement · trade secrets · personal privacy · withholding · protected · sensitive · privilege
transparency
State of being see-through
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- sunshineDirect rays from above
- scrutinyClose, careful examination
watchdog · journalism · investigative · media · public interest · oversight · whistleblower · leak · expose · government accountability
agency
Power to act
- federalDivided governmental authority
- complianceAdhering to requirements
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
public records · archives · declassification · administrative · state department · FBI · CIA · DOJ · reading room · electronic records
litigation
Legal dispute process
- lawsuitCivil court proceeding
- appealFormal review request
- judicial reviewCourts invalidating unconstitutional acts
standing · plaintiff · defendant · jurisdiction · court order · in camera · discovery · injunction · attorney fees · ombudsman
- censorshipbanned books, censored, banned, book banning, book bans
- digital rightsdigital rights, digital freedom, digital privacy, data privacy, data protection
- government transparencysunshine laws, public records, open data, open meetings, financial disclosure
- journalism termsheadline, headlines, byline, bylines, lead
- oversightoversight committees, oversight board, review, auditors, supervisor
- transparencyopenness, disclosure, clarity, honesty, candor
FOIAclassification
Systematic grouping by traits
state secrets · classified information · government secrecy · censorship · redaction
FOIAPrivacy Act
Law protecting personal information
HIPAA · attorney-client privilege · executive privilege · Espionage Act · gag orders
- FOIA requestsDemands for government documents