Category: Declassification

A White Paper Submission to the PIDB: In a political climate where consensus is rare, there is remarkably little dispute about the need for classification reform. Officials from Democratic and Republican administrations agree that far too much information is unnecessarily classified and that the current declassification process is wholly inadequate to handle the oncoming wave … Continue reading Eight Steps to Reduce Overclassification and Rescue Declassification by Elizabeth Goitein, The Brennan Center for Justice

A White Paper Submission to the PIDB: Thank you to Chairman Morrison and to the Board for getting this conversation started. Assuming that the next Administration will in fact prepare a new executive order on classification policy, I would like to propose two specific steps for consideration: (1) a new procedure for considering declassification of … Continue reading Modernizing the National Security Classification and Declassification Systems Through the Next Administration’s Executive Order, by Steven Aftergood, Federation of American Scientists

Yesterday, PIDB member Sanford Ungar attended a briefing by Dr. Cheryl Martin entitled, Decision Support Technology for Records Declassification Review and Release. Dr. Martin’s briefing was jointly sponsored by the ODNI and CIA as part of the research supporting the Congressionally-Directed Action tasked by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to the Director of National Intelligence … Continue reading Declassification Technology Update from the Center for Content Understanding (CCU)

The PIDB continues to hold to the principle of an Open Government recognizing that an informed citizenry strengthens our democracy. We realize that more work needs to be done on the important commitments articulated in the Third National Action Plan for Open Government, particularly streamlining the declassification process. Related to this initiative to limit secrecy … Continue reading It’s Always Sunny in Washington

Yesterday, the President issued the Third Open Government National Action Plan (NAP 3.0) as part of the Open Government Partnership, a cornerstone of his administration.  Included in the NAP 3.0 are new and extended commitments under the specific initiative, “Streamline the Declassification Process.”  Under this initiative, the President pledges to identify processes and tools to … Continue reading Third Open Government National Action Plan Published

Yesterday at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum, the Director of National Intelligence, General James Clapper, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), John Brennan, announced the declassification of over 2,500 historical Presidential Daily Briefs (PDB) dated from 1961 through 1969. We, the members of the PIDB, congratulate the Intelligence Community, … Continue reading Historical Presidential Daily Briefs Declassified

The PIDB encourages you to participate in the planning of the Third Open Government National Action Plan (NAP 3.0).   The Second Open Government National Action Plan included recommendations the PIDB made in its 2012 Report to the President on Transforming the Security Classification System.  These recommendations established the Security Classification Reform Committee, called for the implementation … Continue reading Help Strengthen Open Government

We welcome guest blogger, Dr. Dave Sherman, Associate Director for Policy and Records at the National Security Agency, who describes below details about NSA's recent accomplishment: the declassification review and release of records in the Friedman Collection. During the past two weeks I’ve had the privilege of participating in a series of events marking the … Continue reading NSA Declassifies and Releases the Friedman Collection

Sunshine Week is an annual initiative designed to raise awareness of the importance of citizen access to Government information.  This commemoration coincides with National Freedom of Information Day and James Madison’s birthday (March 16). We reaffirm the principle that an Open Government is essential in our democracy.  An informed citizenry, actively participating in debating and … Continue reading The Public Interest Declassification Board commemorates James Madison’s birthday and Sunshine Week

The PIDB congratulates the Department of Energy’s Office of Classification Management for declassifying the complete 1954 Oppenheimer Hearing Transcript.  President Obama’s Second Open Government National Action Plan tasked Government agencies, including the Department of Energy, to systematically review and declassify historical data on nuclear activities.  The PIDB is pleased to see the Department of Energy … Continue reading Declassification in Full of the 1954 Oppenheimer Hearing