Speaking last week (March 3, 2021) at a virtual event hosted by the National Press Club, the U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond reiterated complaints about the over-classification of space information previously voiced by several U.S. Space Force and military officials. Gen. Raymond particularly stressed the importance of reducing over-classification to … Continue reading Space Operations Chief Decries Over-classification and its Effect on Operations
Category: Declassification
FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting Focuses on the Use of Technology in FOIA Processing; Access to Congressional Records and Reports
Yesterday (3/3/2021), the quarterly meeting of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee focused on the question of whether the FOIA should apply to Legislative and Judicial branch records. The committee heard briefings from public interest groups on this issue, as well as general reports from subcommittees about their priorities. The Technology Subcommittee continues … Continue reading FOIA Advisory Committee Meeting Focuses on the Use of Technology in FOIA Processing; Access to Congressional Records and Reports
Historical Advisory Committee Reports Progress from DOD and State Initiatives
The State Department’s Historical Advisory Committee (HAC) met virtually on March 1st to review progress on the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) publication series. The Department of Defense (DOD) provided a briefing on its declassification review support to the FRUS program, while the Department of State provided a briefing on his automatic declassification … Continue reading Historical Advisory Committee Reports Progress from DOD and State Initiatives
Open Government Groups Send Letter to President Biden
On Monday, February 22, 2021, a coalition of open-government organizations led by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, submitted a letter to President Biden requesting "Swift Presidential Leadership to Make Transparency a Top Priority for the Biden Administration." The organizations included several requests in their letter that … Continue reading Open Government Groups Send Letter to President Biden
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
Air Force and EPA Officials Discuss Need for Data Standards and the Benefits of Automating Classification
Speaking at an industry-sponsored WebEx on December 15, 2020, representatives of the United States Air Force (Air Force) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discussed the value and importance of data management in expanding the application of data for use within their organizations. They emphasized the importance of establishing a common governance framework and metadata … Continue reading Air Force and EPA Officials Discuss Need for Data Standards and the Benefits of Automating Classification
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
New DNI Avril Haines Discusses Overclassification at Senate Confirmation Hearing
On Wednesday, January 20, 2021, Avril Haines was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in an 84-10 vote, to serve as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). On Tuesday, as President Biden's nominee to serve as the DNI, Ms. Haines discussed the challenges of overclassification at a public confirmation hearing of the Senate Select Committee on … Continue reading New DNI Avril Haines Discusses Overclassification at Senate Confirmation Hearing
PIDB Wants You to Shape Classification, Declassification and Information Security Reform
When President-Elect Joe Biden takes office at noon on January 20, 2021, Executive Order 13526 (E.O.) will be over 10 years old. The E.O. “prescribes a uniform system for classifying, safeguarding, and declassifying national security information, including information relating to defense against transnational terrorism”— but a lot has changed over the past decade. Transnational terrorism … Continue reading PIDB Wants You to Shape Classification, Declassification and Information Security Reform
Four Archivist and Records Management Organizations Embrace Calls for Improving Declassification by PIDB
Recommendations on Federal Archives and Records Management Issues, a report submitted last Tuesday (December 1, 2020) to President-Elect Joe Biden by four leading professional organizations of archivists and records managers records managers, cite the call for Government-wide declassification reform presented in the 2020 report to the President of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB). The … Continue reading Four Archivist and Records Management Organizations Embrace Calls for Improving Declassification by PIDB