FOIA b(3) Exemptions

United States Postal Service FOIA Exemptions

32.1
Use Rate 		358.0
Total claims 		1,116
Denials

United States Postal ServiceAnnual Reports: '08 |
The United States Postal Service used b(3) exemptions to withhold information from FOIA requesters 1,116 times in 2008-2009.

Category

  • All
  • Crimes and Criminal Procedure
  • Other
  • Postal Service
Statute Description Claims
39 USC 410(c)(2) Records relating to commercial information that is proprietary to the Postal Service 220.0
39 USC 410(c)(1) Records relating to names and addresses of postal customers 50.0
39 USC 410(c)(3) Records relating to information prepared for use in negotiating collective bargaining agreements 35.0
FRCP 6(e) Grand Jury Information 21.0
39 USC 412 Records containing lists of postal customers 12.0
39 USC 410(c)(4) Records relating to rates, classification, and service changes 8.0
39 USC 410(c)(5) Reports and memoranda of consultants or independent contractors, except to the extent that they would be required to be disclosed if prepared within the Postal Service 6.0
18 USC 2517 Wiretap information 5.0
39 USC 410(c)(6) Investigatory files compiled for law enforcement purposes, unless available by law to party other than USPS 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