The Campaign for Freedom of Information

The Campaign for Freedom of Information campaigns against unnecessary official secrecy and for an effective Freedom of Information Act. Freedom of information laws give people the right to any official information unless the government or public authority can show that disclosure would cause real harm to essential interests such as defence, security, law enforcement or privacy. More than 50 countries have such laws, including the USA, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Holland, Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Poland, Bosnia, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa and Israel.

The UK FOI Act was passed by Parliament on 30 November 2000 and came fully into force on 1 January 2005. The Campaign has produced a users' guide to the Freedom of Information Act and other new rights of access to information, which can be downloaded here.

The Campaign also presses for more disclosure in the private sector, if the information is of public interest. It also seeks to repeal the 1989 Official Secrets Act and replace it by a narrower measure applying only where disclosure would cause serious damage to defence, security, international relations, law enforcement or safety, and containing a public interest defence.

The Campaign is an all-party body, supported by around 90 national organisations. It has promoted a series of successful private members bills, which give people the right to see their own medical, social work and housing records and information about environmental and safety hazards. It has also promoted the Public Interest Disclosure Act with the whistleblower charity Public Concern at Work, as well as amendments to government legislation, to increase public rights to information.

It encourages authorities to disclose more information voluntarily. At its annual Freedom of Information Awards ceremony, it recognises individuals who have campaigned for greater openness and authorities and companies which have taken important initiatives in releasing more information.

	About the Campaign.
	Freedom of Information & Open Government.
	Home page.