The United States of America is founded on democratic ideas and the security of individual rights and freedoms. Citizens are given freedoms to fulfill their aspirations and attain their goals. In order to fully protect our country's people we must oblige by our democratic roots. It is on this notion that the Freedom of Information Act was constructed. In the late 1960s the United States was in a major transition towards the information age. As a society we left behind our industrial era and focused our attention in striving for technological advances. Information was becoming more and more accessible. It was in 1966 that the United States of America put forth the Freedom of Information Act found in Title Five of the United States code, Section 552. This allows citizens to attain federal agency records and information (U.S. Department of Justice, 2000).

The availability of information can serve as a huge benefit to the citizens in search. Allowing people to have authorizations of federal agency information gives them an understanding of their government and it's doings. Our system of governing is based on its people and their contribution

There are unnumbered reasons why citizens may request information from their federal government agencies. Satellite photographs can useful for geological observation as well as historical proof. Family members of deceased airline passengers can request the recordings of flights prior to a crash. Other forensic information can be helpful in knowing the full details of an event. Information on FDA approved supplements may be acquired to those wanting to know about testing procedures. Individuals being prescribe with new drugs appearing on the market may desire knowing more detailed information on it's history and possible side effects. The motivations for requests are unlimited and therefore the Act is extremely important to have. Without such an allowance, distrust and thoughts of speculation towards the government could arise within society.

Examples of denied cases can include information on an agency, which include the infrastructure of energy sources and municipalities as well as waste removals. These cases must be extremely selective with their FOIA departments because of the high risk of terrorism and tampering with these essential resources that provide our way of life. With the threat of bioterrorism increasing, information on our country's environmental resources must be protected.

In order to fulfill a request one must comply with a notarized form that proves their identity. By signing this form they are agreeing that the information they are requesting is to be disclosed to them only. These requests are accompanied by a fee, which is determined by the amount of information or the number of documents needed to supply the requester with the desired information. This fee can vary between different agencies. Some fees are subject to be waved if the individual can prove the information requested is in the interest of the greater public.

Despite

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Approximate Word count = 1272
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)