IFG Disclosure Obligation

The Informationsfreiheitsgesetz (IFG, Freedom of Information Act) grants everyone a right of access to official information held by federal authorities. Similar laws exist at the state level (Landesinformationsfreiheitsgesetze, LIFG). Authorities are obliged to provide information or grant file inspection upon request — however, with important restrictions for the protection of third-party data.

When authorities release documents under the IFG, they must remove personal data of third parties in advance. This concerns names of private individuals, internal personnel data, health information, and other data worthy of protection. The redaction must be carried out carefully and completely — incomplete redaction can lead to data protection violations. Practice shows that, for large document volumes, this is a considerable manual effort.

Datenmaske supports authorities in IFG-compliant redaction by automatically detecting personal data and flagging it for review. The user retains full control: each proposed redaction can be confirmed or rejected. The log documents the entire process and serves as evidence of proper data removal.