The Right of the Public to Protect Its Own Interests

The right of the public to protect its own interests by seeking information, and also limiting the manner in which personal records can be used, has affected government practices in all of the following areas listed below EXCEPT.

A) Agency responsibilities - each agency should provide guidance to the public that describes its policies and procedures and steps required to request information. Upon receiving a valid request, a government agency must provide the relevant record(s) in a prompt, no solicitous manner.
B) Elected or appointed officials - sunshine laws have done away with private "behind closed doors" meetings where decisions, which directly impact citizens, were once made.
C) Confidential or inside information - using a government position and knowledge of government initiatives to make financial gain. For example, purchasing a piece of property that will be adjacent to a proposed government project.
D) Customer/client privacy - some information is exempt from the public, and conversely, individuals have the opportunity to amend any errant information with regard to themselves.