Archive Records

Privacy rights extend past the death of an individual. LAFOIP does not allow personal information to be released without permission until after 25 years from the date of death of the individual.

However, if the request is for information that is very old, such as school registers from the early part of the last century, it is much more likely that the public interest might outweigh the privacy interests of the individuals concerned. The type of information requested, the uses to which it will be put and who is requesting it will all be factor to be considered.

Relying on exceptions to the privacy protections will be a matter of judgement – a common sense balancing of interests.

Section28 (2) (k) of LAFOIP provides an exception allowing the release of information for research purposes but this is a fairly restricted option.