The Postal Service is reminding employees that the organization is a unique hybrid: part government agency, part commercial enterprise.
Because of this, some requests for information are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, which gives the public the right to request access to records from any federal agency.
Commercial information may be withheld if it would not be good business practice for it to be publicly disclosed.
Examples include information that could harm a product or proposal in development and information that would benefit USPS competitors.
This exemption applies to information that originates within the Postal Service or with other organizations, such as vendors or suppliers.
The Postal Service has an extensive list of types of information that may be withheld from the public.
Contact the USPS Privacy and Records Management Office for more guidance at FOIA12@usps.gov or 202-268-2608.
