Freedom Of Information Act Requirements And Implementation Continue To Evolve

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) establishes that federal agencies must provide the public with access to government information, enabling them to learn about government operations and decisions. To help ensure proper implementation, the act requires that agencies annually report specific information about their FOIA operations, such as numbers of requests received and processed and other statistics. In work reported from 2001 to 2008, the auditor examined the annual reports for major agencies, describing the status of reported implementation and any observable trends. This testimony discusses previous work on FOIA implementation, as well as on selected changes in the FOIA landscape resulting from legislation, policy, and guidance.

Freedom of Information Act: Requirements and Implementation Continue to Evolve

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. In performing agency tasks, contractor employees often require access to sensitive information (SI) that must be protected from unauthorized disclosure or misuse. This report assesses the: (1) extent to which agency guidance and contracts contain safeguards for contractor access to SI; and (2) adequacy of governmentwide guidance on how agencies are to safeguard SI to which contractors may have access. To conduct this work, the auditor met with officials at 3 agencies selected for their extensive reliance on contractor employees, analyzed 42 of their contract actions for services potentially requiring contractor access to SI, and analyzed the Fed. Acquisition Reg¿n. re: governmentwide guidance on contractor safeguards for access to SI. Illustrations.

Tells the story behind the development of the Freedom of Information Act and explores its legacy today The Freedom of Information Act, developed at the height of the Cold War, highlighted the power struggles between Congress and the president in that tumultuous era. By drawing on previously unseen primary source material and exhaustive archival research, this book reveals the largely untold and fascinating narrative of the development of the FOIA, and demonstrates how this single policy issue transformed presidential behaviour. The author explores the policy's lasting influence on the politics surrounding contemporary debates on government secrecy, public records and the public's 'right to know', and examines the modern development and use of 'executive privilege'.

Pervasive and sustained cyber attacks continue to pose a potentially devastating threat to the systems and operations of the fed. government. In recent months, fed. officials have cited the continued efforts of foreign nations and criminals to target government and private sector networks; terrorist groups have expressed a desire to use cyber attacks to target the U.S.; and press accounts have reported attacks on the Web sites of government agencies. This statement describes: (1) cyber threats to fed. information systems and cyber-based critical infrastructures; (2) control deficiencies at fed. agencies that make these systems and infrastructures vulnerable to cyber threats; and (3) opportunities that exist for improving fed. cybersecurity.