Foia

/ˈfoʊiə/ noun

Definition

The Freedom of Information Act, a U.S. federal law that provides public access to government records and documents.

Etymology

Acronym for Freedom of Information Act, enacted in 1966 under President Lyndon Johnson. The concept emerged from democratic transparency movements and was influenced by similar legislation in Sweden (1766) and other democracies emphasizing governmental accountability.

Kelly Says

FOIA requests have uncovered some of the most significant government secrets in modern history, from CIA mind control experiments to UFO investigations. However, agencies can still withhold information for national security or privacy reasons, leading to heavily redacted documents that sometimes reveal more through what's blacked out than what's visible.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.