The goal of the NSA/CSS Freedom Of Information Act/Privacy Act Office is to release as much information as possible, consistent with the need to protect information under the exemption provisions of these laws.
The Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) generally provides that any person has a right, enforceable in court, of access to federal agency records, except to the extent that such records (or portions thereof) are protected from disclosure by one of nine exemptions. As part of the Agency’s compliance with the Electronic FOIA (E-FOIA) requirements, NSA/CSS has begun to post FOIA information that will inform the public of NSA/CSS missions and functions.
The Privacy Act (PA) protects an individual’s privacy by putting controls on federal agencies in the collection, use, maintenance, and dissemination of personal information. In addition, it entitles individuals to access federal agency records or to request an amendment to records that are maintained in a file retrievable by an individual’s name or personal identifier, except to the extent that information is exempt from release. Individual, in the context of the Privacy Act, is defined as a U.S. citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence. The Privacy Act also requires that agency records be accurate, relevant, timely, and complete, and amendments are limited to these criteria. However, amendments are normally restricted to correcting factual errors and not matters of official judgments, such as performance ratings, or subjective judgments that reflect an individual’s observation, evaluation, or opinion.