THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) appeared as part of a wave of transparency and accountability reforms in the latter half of the twentieth century that included inspectors general, auditing bodies, and independent commissions. John Keane’s concept of monitory democracy captures the democratic practices made possible by such reforms: monitoring tools permit citizens to hold public officials to account not only in elections but also through permanent, ongoing scrutiny of government activity.

David E Pozen; Michael Schudson, Troubling Transparency- The…, loc. 820