freedom of information

freedom of information UK US noun [uncountable]

the right of citizens of a country to see official information that governments and other institutions keep about them

Thesaurus: equal rights_synonym

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freedom of information,

1. freedom from governmental interference with the flow of information: »

Scarcely one-fifth of UN member countries enjoyed what could genuinely be called freedom of information (Harford Thomas).

2. unrestricted public access to government records and documents that do not violate an individual's privacy or endanger national security: »

Legislation introduced [in Canada] during the first two months included a freedom of information Bill designed to allow greater access to government files (Bruce Thordarson).

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ˌfreedom of inforˈmation 7 [freedom of information] noun uncountable

the right to see any information that a government has about people and organizations

 

Culture:

Both the US and UK have a ↑Freedom of Information Act that allows people to see certain information held by the government. In Britain, the government can keep some information secret under the ↑Official Secrets Act, ↑DA-notices and the ↑thirty-year rule.