The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, is a federal freedom of information law that allows for the full or partial disclosure of previously unreleased information and documents controlled by the United States government.The basic purpose of this law is to give the public access to official informationso that the public will be better informed and the government will be more accountable for its actions.Under this statute, anyone can file a FOIA request to request for government agencydocuments (some exemptions apply).

Citizens can use this statute to lawfully obtain the information concerning themselves, such as in the caseMilnerv. Department of the Navy; or concerning the society, such as the recent "email-gate" regarding the presidency candidate.

FOIA requests may sometimes "by-product" some amusing outcomes, such as10 Ridiculous Documents Released via the Freedom of Information Act.

FOIA may also cause trouble when it is being "abused", see the post of this unfortunate professor:The FOIA Babe, and the New Abuse of Vanity Harassment.

Please read the above articles, and find some of your own, and express your idea on how would you balance between the public disclosure of governmental documents, and individual privacies. (For instance, although a person works as a governmental employee, he is an individual person on the other hand. Shall he deserve certain level of privacy regarding his work? )