FOIA b(3) Exemptions

Social Security Administration FOIA Exemptions

2.5
Use Rate 		134.0
Total claims 		5,320
Denials

Social Security Administration Annual Reports: '08 |
The Social Security Administration used b(3) exemptions to withhold information from FOIA requesters 5,320 times in 2008-2009.

Category

  • All
  • Internal Revenue Code
  • Public Contracts
Statute Description Claims
26 USC 6103 Tax return information 133.0
41 USC 423(a) Contractor bid or proposal information or evaluations 1.0

About This Project

This project uses data compiled by the Sunshine in Government initiative, a coalition of journalism and transparency groups. SGI compiled data from federal agency annual FOIA reports to track how often b(3) exemptions were used. SGI also standardized the exemptions since some agencies used slightly different citations of the same laws. In some cases, agencies listed general laws without specifying a section under which information was withheld. This project does not include information from agencies that use no b(3) exemptions in 2008 or 2009. ProPublica compiled information about FOIA denials.

FOIA Resources