Now, let me get this straight. The federal government has warrantless access to every single piece of information on every single American – all in instantly-searchable databases, but when it’s time to provide legally-required documents under the Freedom of Information Act, the government can’t cough them up? What’s wrong with this picture?

Obama’s failure to keep his transparency promise has been a huge disappointment to me.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration more often than ever censored government files or outright denied access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.

The administration cited more legal exceptions it said justified withholding materials and refused a record number of times to turn over files quickly that might be especially newsworthy. Most agencies also took longer to answer records requests, the analysis found.

The government’s own figures from 99 federal agencies covering six years show that half way through its second term, the administration has made few meaningful improvements in the way it releases records despite its promises from Day 1 to become the most transparent administration in history.

In category after category — except for reducing numbers of old requests and a slight increase in how often it waived copying fees — the government’s efforts to be more open about its activities last year were their worst since President Barack Obama took office.

via Open government study: Secrecy up – Associated Press – POLITICO.com.