As well as regulatory bodies, there are a number of legal legislations that must be considered and followed. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) generally provides that any person has the right to request access to federal agency records or information except to the extent the records are protected from disclosure by any of nine exemptions contained in the law or by one of three special law enforcement record exclusions.

The federal FOIA does not provide access to records held by state or local government agencies, or by private businesses or individuals. This includes, but is not limited to, school transcripts, school district records of attendance or an individual's criminal record. ... Complete the FOIA