The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, is a law that grants the public the right to access records from the federal government, unless an exemption applies.
The Postal Service has a special exemption that allows the organization to withhold commercial information if it would not be good business practice to publicly disclose that information.
This exemption can apply to information the Postal Service creates or information the organization obtains from customers or suppliers.
Information is considered commercial if it relates to commerce, trade, profit or the Postal Service’s ability to conduct itself in a businesslike manner. Examples include anything that can benefit USPS competitors, such as negotiated terms in leases and contracts, geolocation data, and records indicating carrier or delivery lines of travel.
The Code of Federal Regulations contains a list of commercial information that should be protected.
Employees with questions should email the USPS Privacy and Records Management Office or call 202-268-2608.
