House Judiciary Committee Calls for the Declassification of 9/11 Records

Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray appeared before the House Judiciary Committee at the "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" public hearing.  The full Judiciary Committee hearing can be found at:  https://judiciary.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=4581  During this hearing, Judiciary Committee members requested that Director Wray focus resources toward the declassification of 9/11 records. Congressman Ted Deutch, asked Director Wray to commit to a full and … Continue reading House Judiciary Committee Calls for the Declassification of 9/11 Records

A Call for Transparency of the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Number

The United States government has long held the practice of publicly providing an annual count of the number of nuclear weapons in the U.S. nuclear stockpile or the number of weapons that had been dismantled.  While there were occasional “pauses” in this practice, it continued through the Obama administration and as recent as 2017. However, … Continue reading A Call for Transparency of the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile Number

Public Interest Groups Publish Report on Government Transparency – Highlight Technology – Part Two

Open the Government, a nonpartisan coalition composed of civil society and government transparency focused organizations published its report, Accountability 2021 in December. The report promotes several long- and short-term recommendations that also support previous recommendations by the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB). The PIDB’s most recent report to the President, A Vision for the Digital … Continue reading Public Interest Groups Publish Report on Government Transparency – Highlight Technology – Part Two

Public Interest Groups Publish Report on Government Transparency – Highlight Work and Recommendations of the Public Interest Declassification Board – Part One

Open the Government, a nonpartisan coalition composed of civil society and government transparency focused organizations published its report, Accountability 2021 in December. The report highlighted several recommendations from the Public Interest Declassification Board’s (PIDB) most recent report to the President, A Vision for the Digital Age: Modernizing the U.S. National Security Classification and Declassification System.  … Continue reading Public Interest Groups Publish Report on Government Transparency – Highlight Work and Recommendations of the Public Interest Declassification Board – Part One

SSCI Members Embrace Need for Declassification Reform, Discuss PIDB Recommendations at Senate Hearing

The Board would like to thank Acting Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL), Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), and members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) for their invitation to testify yesterday (September 9, 2020) at the open hearing on “Declassification Policy and Prospects for Reform.”    At the hearing, PIDB Member John Tierney responded … Continue reading SSCI Members Embrace Need for Declassification Reform, Discuss PIDB Recommendations at Senate Hearing

PIDB Member John Tierney to Support Modernizing Classification and Declassification before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., Live on C-SPAN

PIDB member John Tierney will testify at an open hearing on declassification policy and the prospects for reform, to be held by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) tomorrow, Wednesday, September 9, 2020, from 3:00-4:30 p.m. EST. The hearing will be shown on the SSCI’s website, and televised live on C-SPAN.  Senator Ron Wyden … Continue reading PIDB Member John Tierney to Support Modernizing Classification and Declassification before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m., Live on C-SPAN

Confirmation Testimony of New U.S. Space Force Commander Reiterates Concerns about Over-classification in Space, Calls for Review

On his way to becoming the new Commander of the U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM), Lt. Gen. James Dickinson discussed the problem of over-classification in space operations at his confirmation hearing on July 28, 2020, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. In his testimony, Lt. Gen. Dickinson called for “a review of classification for collection data … Continue reading Confirmation Testimony of New U.S. Space Force Commander Reiterates Concerns about Over-classification in Space, Calls for Review

PIDB Posts Transcript of Virtual Public Meeting, Responds to Public Questions

The agenda and transcript of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) Virtual Public Meeting held on June 5, 2020, is now available online here: PIDB Meetings – 2020.  The teleconference began an important discussion about the PIDB’s 2020 Report to the President, A Vision for the Digital Age: Modernization of the U.S. National Security Classification … Continue reading PIDB Posts Transcript of Virtual Public Meeting, Responds to Public Questions

Board Members Invite PIDB Virtual Meeting Participants to Complete Survey Through July 5, 2020

The Public Interest Declassification Board is grateful for everyone who participated on Friday, June 5, 2020, in the Virtual Public Meeting. Among other topics, the teleconference began important discussion about the Board’s 2020 Report to the President, A Vision for the Digital Age: Modernization of the U.S. National Security Classification and Declassification System. Although in-person … Continue reading Board Members Invite PIDB Virtual Meeting Participants to Complete Survey Through July 5, 2020