What We Heard and Learned during Sunshine Week

The members and staff of the Public Interest Declassification Board attended and participated in many events last week to commemorate Sunshine Week. We thank the public and representatives from civil society and open government advocacy groups, Government agencies, the Congress and all attendees who participated in Sunshine Week activities. The Board wishes to thank the … Continue reading What We Heard and Learned during Sunshine Week

National Declassification Center Completes Quality Assurance of Backlog Final

At the recent conference on the Berlin Wall, the Director of the National Declassification Center (NDC) announced that the NDC completed the quality assurance review of the nearly 352 million pages that constitute the backlog of classified Federal records in the custody of the National Archives.  The backlog was a result of previous reviews of … Continue reading National Declassification Center Completes Quality Assurance of Backlog Final

PIDB Initiatives Included in the President’s Second Open Government National Action Plan

On Friday, the President issued the Second Open Government National Action Plan (NAP) as part of the Open Government Partnership, a cornerstone of his administration.  I am very happy to report that the NAP contains the specific initiative, “Transform the Security Classification System.”  Under this initiative, the President pledges to implement reforms that will keep … Continue reading PIDB Initiatives Included in the President’s Second Open Government National Action Plan

What We Heard and Learned during Sunshine Week

The members and staff of the Public Interest Declassification Board attended and participated in many events last week to commemorate Sunshine Week.  We would like to thank the representatives from agencies, civil society and open government advocacy groups, the Congress, the public and all the attendees who participated in these panels and events.  The Board … Continue reading What We Heard and Learned during Sunshine Week

Public Interest Declassification Board Commemorates James Madison’s Birthday and Sunshine Week

Sunshine Week is an annual initiative, which coincides with national Freedom of Information Day and James Madison’s birthday (March 16), designed to raise awareness of the importance of citizen access to Government records. As we commemorate Sunshine Week, we reaffirm the principle of an Open Government.  The Public Interest Declassification Board believes that our democratic … Continue reading Public Interest Declassification Board Commemorates James Madison’s Birthday and Sunshine Week

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: The Public Interest Declassification Board Publicly Releases its Report to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System

  Photo courtesy of the National Archives Today, the Public Interest Declassification Board released online its recommendations to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System.  It recommends fundamental changes that ensure the classification system will function fully to protect our nation’s security and to allow for democratic discourse in the 21st century.  The full … Continue reading NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: The Public Interest Declassification Board Publicly Releases its Report to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System

Recommendation 7: Implementing a Process for the Systematic Declassification Review of Formerly Restricted Data (FRD) Information

  Documents courtesy of the National Archives  and the photograph is courtesy of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.   It is time to allow certain types of historical nuclear information to be reviewed for declassification and public access.  In the aftermath of World War II, the Government recognized the need to keep nuclear weapons information … Continue reading Recommendation 7: Implementing a Process for the Systematic Declassification Review of Formerly Restricted Data (FRD) Information

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: The Public Interest Declassification Board Announces its December 6, 2012 Meeting

The Public Interest Declassification Board will host an open meeting on Thursday, December 6, 2012 to discuss its recommendations to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System.  The full Report to the President will be published online on December 6th at http://www.archives.gov/declassification/pidb.  The meeting will focus on the Board’s fourteen recommendations for transformation.  The … Continue reading NEW ANNOUNCEMENT: The Public Interest Declassification Board Announces its December 6, 2012 Meeting

The PIDB Announces the Upcoming Public Release of its Report to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System

The Public Interest Declassification Board is pleased to announce the completion of its report, Transforming the Security Classification System.  The President asked that we study the security classification system and make recommendations for its transformation to better meet the needs of users in the digital age. The report will be released to the public on … Continue reading The PIDB Announces the Upcoming Public Release of its Report to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System