The freedom of information act in the information age: The electronic challenge to the people's right to know

Abstract

While the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guarantees the American people access to information in federal records, the legislation predates the proliferation of computers in federal agencies. While FOIA applies to information in electronic records, the full impact of FOIA on computerized records is not clear. This paper traces the case law on how FOIA relates to the records of the new technology, discusses the unanswered questions, and outlines three possible scenarios for the resolution of these public issues.