SEC FOIA/PA Program
The Freedom of Information & Privacy Act Office:
What It Is, What It Does

The SEC FOIA/PA Office is located at the following address:

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which can be found in Title 5 of the United States Code, section 552, was enacted in 1966 and provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information. All agencies of the United States government are required to disclose records upon receiving a written request for them, except for those records that are protected from disclosure by the nine exemptions and three exclusions of the FOIA. This right of access is enforceable in court.

The Privacy Act of 1974, which can be found in Title 5 of the United States Code, section 552a, establishes safeguards for the protection of records the Government collects and maintains on United States citizens and lawfully admitted permanent residents.

Records You Can Obtain

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) maintains public and non-public records. Public records, such as registration statements and reports filed by regulated companies and individuals, SEC decisions and releases, staff manuals, no-action and interpretive letters, and public comments on proposed rules, are available through the Public Reference facilities located at SEC Headquarters (Conventional and Electronic Reading Rooms). Most public filings since 1995, SEC releases since September 1995, and other public records are also at the SEC web site http://www.sec.gov.

A FOIA request is required to obtain non-public records, such as records compiled in investigations, consumer complaints, and staff comment letters. We will release non-public records, unless the record is protected by one of nine FOIA exemptions. If we can reasonably segregate or delete exempt information from a requested record, we will release to you the rest of the record. In addition to FOIA exemptions, there are three special protection provisions, referred to as record "exclusions."  The FOIA exclusions are reserved for certain specified circumstances. 

For additional information, click on the appropriate document:

http://www.sec.gov/foia.shtml