The federal government collects billions of pieces of information on tens of millions of Americans each year. These are stored in files and gigantic computers and often are exchanged among agencies. You probably have at least several federal records (for example, those in the Social Security Administration; the Internal Revenue Service; and, if you are a male, the Selective Service).

The 1966 Freedom of Information Act requires that the federal government release, at your request, any identifiable information it has in the administrative agencies of the executive branch. This information can be about you or about any other subject. Ten categories of material are exempted, however (classified material, confidential material dealing with trade secrets, internal personnel rules, personal medical files, and the like).

To request material, you must write to the Freedom of Information Act officer directly at the agency in question (say, the Department of Education). You must also have a relatively specific idea about the document or information you wish to obtain.

A second law is the Privacy Act of 1974, gives you access specifically to information the government may have collected about you. This is a very important law, because it allows you to review your records on file with federal agencies (for example, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation) and to check those records for possible inaccuracies. Cases do exist in which two people with similar or the same names have had their records confused. In some cases, innocent persons have had the criminal records of another person erroneously inserted into their files.

If you wish to look at any records or find out if an agency has a record on you, write to the agency head or Privacy Act officer, and address your letter to the specific agency. State that "under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 522a, I hereby request a copy of (or access to) _____________." Then describe the record that you wish to investigate.

If you have trouble finding out about your records or wish to locate an attorney in Washington, D.C., to help you with this matter, you can contact the following organization:

Lawyer Referral Service
Washington bar Association
1819 H St. N.W., Suite 300
Washington, C 20036
(202)-223-6600

Source from: American Government and Politics Today

© 2004 By AfroStaff