Exemptions & Denials

How often each FOIA exemption is cited across government, and which agencies rely on them most.

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Exemption Explorer

The nine FOIA exemptions let agencies withhold specific kinds of records. Pick one to see which agencies cite it most (FY).

Ex. 6

Personal privacy

Total Citations
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Top Agencies Citing This Exemption

Counts of citations across all components

Exemption Use Over Time

Government-wide count of exemptions cited, by fiscal year. Toggle categories to focus the chart.
Exemption categories follow 5 U.S.C. § 552(b): Ex. 1 (national security) through Ex. 9 (geological data). Ex. 7 covers law-enforcement records and is split into six sub-exemptions (7A–7F). A single request can cite multiple exemptions, so totals here count citations, not requests.