Attorney General Eric Holder explains that they really where watching you.

A press release from the Department of Justice yesterday announced that Attorney General Eric Holder has issued comprehensive new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) guidelines today that direct all executive branch departments and agencies to apply a presumption of openness when administering the FOIA. The new guidelines were announced in a memo to heads of executive departments and agencies, and “builds on the principles announced by President Obama on his first full day in office when he issued a presidential memorandum on the FOIA that called on agencies to ‘usher in a new era of open government.'” The release goes on to say that the “memo rescinds the guidelines issued on Oct. 12, 2001, by former Attorney General John Ashcroft.”

Attorney General Holder is quoted as saying, “By restoring the presumption of disclosure that is at the heart of the Freedom of Information Act, we are making a critical change that will restore the public’s ability to access information in a timely manner. The American people have the right to information about their government’s activities, and these new guidelines will ensure they are able to obtain that information under principles of openness and transparency.”