The Public Interest Declassification Board (the Board) thanks you, the public, for joining our virtual meeting yesterday, Wednesday, October 7, 2020. This was the second virtual public meeting of the Board, and the first meeting held by WebEx video conference. Over 130 people registered to see and listen to remarks by the Archivist of the … Continue reading Thank You for Participating!
Category: Public Engagement
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
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
The Public Interest Declassification Board Remains Active During the COVID-19 National Emergency
The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) members and staff remain active preparing for an in-person meeting to be scheduled as circumstances allow under the current COVID-19 national emergency. In addition to supporting PIDB members in scheduling the in-person meeting, PIDB staff will continue to publish here on Transforming Classification, and remain responsive to questions and … Continue reading The Public Interest Declassification Board Remains Active During the COVID-19 National Emergency
Looking Back and Moving Forward, PIDB Promotes Modernization, Efficiency in Declassification
On October 27, 1999, when he introduced the first bill to create the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB), Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan cited the founding patriot James Madison: “A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.” Sen. Moynihan argued that in the decades after World … Continue reading Looking Back and Moving Forward, PIDB Promotes Modernization, Efficiency in Declassification
PIDB Member Alissa Starzak, Tech Reps Find Digital Solutions for Election Security
On October 16, 2018, PIDB Member Alissa Starzak joined a discussion on government and tech industry efforts to achieve election security, with panelists Matthew Rhoades, of the Aspen Institute's Cybersecurity and Technology Program, Ethan Chumley of Microsoft’s Defending Democracy Program, and Jay Kaplan, the CEO and Co-Founder of the cybersecurity firm Synack. Ms. Starzak spoke … Continue reading PIDB Member Alissa Starzak, Tech Reps Find Digital Solutions for Election Security
Making Sunshine: The Work of the Public Interest Declassification Board
The PIDB continues its role advising the President, Executive Branch officials, and Congress on ways to bring sunshine to the security classification system in the interest of our national security. During Sunshine Week, we want to share our plans for a new report and series of recommendations we believe will transform the security classification system … Continue reading Making Sunshine: The Work of the Public Interest Declassification Board
Join Us at the “Free Speech Legacies: The Pentagon Papers Revisited” Symposium February 16-17, 2017
Please join PIDB member Sanford Ungar at the "Free Speech Legacies: The Pentagon Papers Revisited" symposium on February 16-17, 2017 at Georgetown University. The event is free and you can register at tinyurl.com/freespeechlegacies. Mr. Ungar orchestrated the symposium, which will feature a variety of distinguished panelists, including Floyd Abrams, Martin Baron, David Cole, David Sanger, … Continue reading Join Us at the “Free Speech Legacies: The Pentagon Papers Revisited” Symposium February 16-17, 2017
The DPLAfest: Making Access Happen
On Friday, the PIDB participated in the Digital Public Libraries of America (DPLA) Festival. As a non-profit organization, DPLA brings together America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them available to all users. The festival is an annual series of workshops, presentations, and discussions that brings together librarians, archivists, and museum professionals, developers and technologists, … Continue reading The DPLAfest: Making Access Happen
PIDB Congratulates John W. Ficklin for his Years of Public Service
The Members of the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) congratulate Mr. John W. Ficklin on his January 2016 retirement from government service, completing his forty-three year tenure at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Records and Access Management at the National Security Council. In his capacity as Senior … Continue reading PIDB Congratulates John W. Ficklin for his Years of Public Service