The Investigative Reporting Workshop at the American University School of Communication reported June 20, 2013 that:
"[Federal] FOIA requests were denied under the privacy exemption in 2012 in more
than 232,000 cases, or 53 percent of all requests, the highest level
since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Privacy exemptions include 'personnel and medical files and similar files' when the disclosure of
such information 'would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy' or protection for law enforcement information, the
disclosure of which 'could reasonably be expected to constitute an
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.' "
The law enforcement exemption came in second at 26 percent, and executive privilege was claimed 15 percent of the time. National Security accounted for less than one percent of the denials.
http://investigativereportingworkshop.org/blogs/exemption-10/posts/2013/jun/20/freedom-information-act-requests-and-denials-climb/
