True or False: Marking information FOUO automatically qualifies it for exemption from public release under FOIA.

Marking information as For Official Use Only (FOUO) does not automatically exempt it from public release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Rather, FOUO is a designation used to indicate that certain information is sensitive and should be safeguarded from public disclosure to protect private interests, governmental operations, or national security.

Under FOIA, all records held by a government agency are generally available to the public; however, certain exemptions do exist. For an exemption to apply, the agency must specifically invoke the relevant FOIA exemption and demonstrate why the information should not be disclosed. Simply marking information as FOUO does not fulfill this requirement—it must also meet the criteria for one of the specific FOIA exemptions to qualify for withholding from release.

Thus, while FOUO indicates a need for discretion in handling certain information, it does not provide an automatic exemption from public access, making the statement false.