Freedom of Information Act Gallery 2010 In recognition of
Sunshine Week March 15-19, 2010 The Freedom of Information Act
establishes a legal right for individuals to obtain records in
the possession of government agencies. The FOIA is critical for
the functioning of democratic government because it helps ensure
that the public is fully informed about matters of public
concern. The FOIA has helped uncover fraud, waste, and abuse in
the federal government. It has become particularly important in
the last few years as the government has tried to keep more of
its activities secret. A hallmark of the new surveillance
measures proposed by various government agencies is their
disregard for public accountability. As the government seeks to
expand its power to collect information about individuals, it
increasingly hides that surveillance power behind a wall of
secrecy. Congress has long recognized this tendency in the
Executive Branch, and sought to limit government secrecy by
creating legal obligations of openness un