Information flow control has been a hot and difficult research topic in providing end-to-end data security. This article presents an overview of the field of information flow control. First, the basic theory and models for information flow control are introduced from the perspectives of lattice, security type system, security process algebra and automata machine. Next, working from the bottom up of the computer hierarchy, the implementation methods of information flow control on hardware, operating system, virtual machine, high-level language, low-level language, database and network are introduced, and a comparison among various studies is provided. Then, combining the new technologies of the current era, the applications of information flow control in cloud computing, mobile internet, IoT (internet of thing) and big data are analyzed. Finally, the current problems and the future trends of information flow control are discussed.