On March 1, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 8-0 that law enforcement cannot refuse to release records related to AT&T and other corporations by citing the “personal privacy” exemption of federal FOIA.
The FBI began investigating AT&T after the communications company admitted it had overcharged the government for services provided under the E-Rate program for schools. AT&T eventually agreed to pay $500,000 to settle the matter, prompting a trade association of AT&T competitors to seek records related to the investigation under FOIA. The FBI denied the request, citing the trade secrets and the personal privacy exemptions.
Writing for the court, Judge John Roberts said the latter exemption did not apply to corporations, adding, “We trust that AT&T will not take it personally.”