On Tuesday, December 6, from 9:00-11:00 a.m., a discussion by Ezra Cohen and Alissa Starzak, chair and vice chair of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB), will open an in-person event on “Reforming the Classification System: Challenges, Approaches, and Priorities,” hosted by the Hudson Institute at 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Following the opening by Mr. … Continue reading “Reforming the Classification System: Challenges, Approaches, and Priorities” – ABA and Federalist Society Co-Sponsor Event including PIDB Members at Hudson Institute, December 6 from 9:00-11:00 AM
Category: Public Engagement
Senators Moran and Wyden Urge the President to Change Executive Order on Classification and Declassification
A letter sent to President Biden in May 2022 by Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) urged the President and the National Security Council to address “long-overdue reform demands” by revising Executive Order (E.O) 13526, Classified National Security Information. In addition to calling for modernization, the letter emphasizes the need for “meaningful investments” in … Continue reading Senators Moran and Wyden Urge the President to Change Executive Order on Classification and Declassification
PIDB Responds to Questions Received at the Virtual Public Meeting on March 30, 2022
Today, the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) posts responses to questions received by at the virtual public meeting on Thursday, March 30. To see the video of that meeting, please visit NARA’s YouTube Channel, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7W4EFWTMx2w. Thank you for your questions and comments. The PIDB looks forward to continuing the public discussion of important issues … Continue reading PIDB Responds to Questions Received at the Virtual Public Meeting on March 30, 2022
The PIDB Responds to the Director of National Intelligence’s Concerns about Over-Classification and the Need to Modernize the U.S. Classification and Declassification System
Last week, the Wall Street Journal and several other news outlets published stories on the Director of National Intelligence’s concerns about over-classification. The members of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) agree with Director Avril Haines’s remarks about the national security harm caused by over-classification and the need to modernize the classification and declassification system. … Continue reading The PIDB Responds to the Director of National Intelligence’s Concerns about Over-Classification and the Need to Modernize the U.S. Classification and Declassification System
New DOD Position Realigns AI and Data Management — Can Support Improved Classification and Declassification
The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) has noted that the executive branch has been developing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies for a variety of use cases at an accelerated rate. However, federal agencies too often develop these innovations without internal or interagency coordination. Recommendations of the PIDB have long emphasized … Continue reading New DOD Position Realigns AI and Data Management — Can Support Improved Classification and Declassification
Press Coverage of PIDB Efforts to Reduce Over-Classification, Increase Government Transparency
Two news reports published last week highlighted last year’s recommendations as well as ongoing activities of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) to promote the modernization of classification and declassification systems. Both reports cited the PIDB’s continuing advocacy for new policies and processes to reduce over-classification. (The PIDB’s 2020 Report to the President recommended policies … Continue reading Press Coverage of PIDB Efforts to Reduce Over-Classification, Increase Government Transparency
PIDB Members Thank You for your Comments and Questions to the Virtual Public Meeting of May 18
Members of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) are grateful for the audience of over 4,000 viewers who attended the live virtual public meeting on May 18. The video of the event will remain publicly available in its entirety on the NARA YouTube Channel, where it has already reached over 48,000 viewers. The PIDB received … Continue reading PIDB Members Thank You for your Comments and Questions to the Virtual Public Meeting of May 18
PIDB responds to Questions about the JFK Assassination Records
The virtual public meeting hosted on May 18 by the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) received the following questions regarding delays in public access to certain records that are part of the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). We have listed those questions and comments below, … Continue reading PIDB responds to Questions about the JFK Assassination Records
The PIDB Responds to More Questions Received at the Virtual Public Meeting of May 18, 2021
The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) offers the following responses to questions received from the public, which it did not have time to answer during the Virtual Public Meeting last week, on Tuesday, May 18, 2021: 1.) Question: Can you please tell me how I can get records to the May 18 meeting on 9/11? … Continue reading The PIDB Responds to More Questions Received at the Virtual Public Meeting of May 18, 2021
PIDB Responses to Questions Received at the Virtual Public Meeting on May 18, 2021
Today we begin posting responses to questions received by the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) regarding the virtual public meeting that streamed live on NARA’s YouTube Channel last Tuesday, May 18. The first set posted below contains questions received during and prior to the meeting, which the PIDB members and guest speakers Phil Zelikow and … Continue reading PIDB Responses to Questions Received at the Virtual Public Meeting on May 18, 2021