In a lengthy legal battle over Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in Illinois, Matt Chapman fought to obtain access to database schema information related to an application called CANVAS used by Chicago’s Department of Transportation. The case traversed various courts with varying outcomes until it reached the Illinois Supreme Court.
Initially, lower courts ruled that a SQL schema was not considered a “file layout” under FOIA and should be disclosed. However, in an unexpected turnaround influenced by another dictionary definition, the Illinois Supreme Court decided schemas could indeed fall under file layouts’ umbrella due to their structural similarities as plans or frameworks for data organization.
This ruling now restricts public access to database schema information across Illinois state agencies and municipalities. However, it has sparked calls for legislative intervention through SB0226 proposed by some lawmakers in the Illinois General Assembly. This bill aims to amend FOIA laws by mandating public bodies provide sufficient descriptions of databases’ structures allowing requesters to perform specific queries without disclosing full schemas themselves.
Chapman and supporters argue that such a change would maintain transparency while safeguarding sensitive data within specialized applications where traditional methods fail in obtaining records. They urge citizens to contact their representatives urging support for this proposed legislation, dubbed “The Chapman Act.”
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