While FOIA officers are no longer directed to give strong consideration to exemptions in the release of information and to ask if there is a "sound legal basis" to withhold information from requestors, the government has rarely viewed exemptions for privacy or business information as discretionary. Staff recommendations and policy draft comments are also exempt, and federal agencies have been ordered to withhold "sensitive but unclassified" information for national security reasons.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement is correct, as the government generally does not view exemptions for privacy or business information as discretionary and has been ordered to withhold certain information for national security reasons. However, staff recommendations and policy draft comments are not always exempt and may be subject to release under FOIA.

While FOIA Officers Are No Longer Directed to Give Strong