FOIA Exemption
A FOIA exemption is a legal category under the Freedom of Information Act that allows an agency to withhold all or part of a record from public disclosure to protect interests such as national security, privacy, or law enforcement.
FOIA exemptions are the defined grounds on which a federal agency may lawfully withhold records that would otherwise be releasable in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. They cover interests such as classified national defense information, internal personnel rules, information protected by other statutes, trade secrets and confidential business information, privileged inter- and intra-agency deliberations, personal privacy, certain law enforcement records, financial institution oversight, and geological data on wells.
In recordkeeping, exemptions matter because disclosure decisions must be made at the record level and documented. Agencies are expected to apply exemptions narrowly, release any reasonably segregable non-exempt portions, and weigh a foreseeable-harm standard rather than withholding by default. This drives careful redaction and review workflows.
For example, a personnel file released under FOIA might have an employee’s home address and Social Security number redacted to protect personal privacy, while the rest of the document is disclosed. The distinction is important: an exemption justifies withholding specific content, it does not necessarily exempt the entire record.