One of the paradoxical aspects to maintaining the freedoms we enjoy as American citizens is the need to restrict some of those freedoms to avoid losing the rest. The Freedom of Information Act is an example of just such a situation. As American citizens, we have a right to privacy, yet when privacy prevents law enforcement officers and intelligence agencies from apprehending terrorists, spies, and traitors, that right to privacy must be put asideùonly to the degree necessary to apprehend the perpetratorsùto preserve freedom and for the greater good.
Over sixty countries have implemented freedom of information legislation in some form that sets rules on governmental secrecy, defining a legal process by which government information is available to the public in what are termed ôopen recordsö (ôFreedom of Information Legislationö). The Freedom of Information Act in the United States is the pivotal document ensuring freedom of information for America (ôFreedom of Information Act (United States)ö). The Act applies only to federal agencies, although all of the states have enacted similar statutes that require state and local agencies to disclose certain information (ôFreedom of Information Act (United States)ö).
The Freedom of Information Act is essential for maintaining the countryÆs freedoms. Secret information can be used to compromise the security of our nation, and the legal right to expose secretive activities that threaten our freedoms and safety must be maintained. More recently, the Patriot Act has come under fire for permitting undisclosed wiretapping in our country; many people feel that the wiretapping is taking freedom of information too far. However, in many cases, such surveillance activities are the only way to discover, track, and apprehend terrorists and other malfeasants; they are careful not to engage in any open activity that would cause them to be arrested. Apprehending the
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