There are discrete circumstances in which the FTC may disclose a person’s confidential information for a specific use. The HSR Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 41-68 (“FTC Act”) do not bar the FTC’s use of a person’s confidential information in judicial and administrative proceedings. However, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and FTC Rules of Practice include procedures to protect confidential information used in judicial proceedings or FTC administrative proceedings. For example, FTC typically asks courts to enter protective orders to be able to disclose information confidentially in discovery and to limit the use of the confidential information to the specific proceeding. Third parties are provided with a copy of the protective order.   The FTC is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), which provides the public with a right of access to certain agency records. This statute, however, contains several exemptions that protect information provided to the FTC. It permits the FTC to withhold certain categories of documents from requesters, including information protected by statute (such as the HSR Act or FTC Act), “commercial or financial information obtained from a person [that is] privileged or confidential,” inter- or intra-agency memoranda or letters that would be routinely privileged in civil discovery, and “files the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” In addition, an exemption from FOIA’s disclosure regime applies to certain information compiled for law enforcement purposes, including when disclosure could interfere with enforcement proceedings or disclose the identity of a confidential source. Additionally, Section 21(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 57b-2(f), exempts from FOIA disclosure materials that the FTC receives from a foreign competition authority when the authority requests confidential treatment or precludes disclosure. Upon receiving an appropriate request from a congressional committee, the FTC may share confidential information. When it receives such a request, the FTC typically seeks to minimize the exposure of any confidential materials by making presentations to congressional members or their staff in confidential briefings. Before these meetings, the FTC notifies the members and their staff in writing about the confidential nature of the information to be provided and requests that the information remain confidential. The FTC also notifies the submitter of the information that it has received a congressional request. The FTC may also share confidential information with other federal or state law enforcement agencies, if the requesting agency certifies that the information will be maintained in confidence and used only for law enforcement purposes.