Information Act (No. 140).

The objectives of this Act is to ensure transparency in the administration and in the handling of public interests, inter alia with the purpose of strengthening: a) right to information and freedom of expression; b) the possibility of the public to participate in a democratic society; c) media and public pressure on the government; d) the possibility of the media to share information about public affairs; and d) public trust in the administration. The Act covers all government actives. It consists of 36 articles organized in the following chapters: I. Objective and Scope; II. General access to information; III. Party access to information about him or herself; IV. Procedure; V. Decision Committee on Information Matters; VI. Registration of cases etc.; VII. Re-use of public information; VIII. Access to data for research purposes; IX. Validity etc.
The Act enshrines the public's right to access data. It is obligatory, if so requested, to provide the public with access to the available data concerning a specific case, with the only restrictions set out in Articles 6-10. The right to access data includes: 1. All relevant documents, including copies of letters sent by the government or other party according to Chapter I; and 2. Diary entries relating to case documents and a list of case documents. As regards the registration of cases, archives and other storage of data and information, the provisions of the Act on the National Archives of Iceland apply.