On February 25, 2020, the Wilson Center commemorated the 80th anniversary of the executions by Soviet intelligence forces of over 22,000 Polish prisoners in the Russian provinces of Smolensk, Kalinin, and Kharkiv in Ukraine. The prisoners represented a majority of Poland’s governing elite—military, police, and civil society leaders captured in 1939, when the Soviet Union … Continue reading Katyn Massacre Records Show Need to Prioritize Disclosure of Historical Information with Significant Public Interest
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PIDB Reauthorized by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 retroactively reauthorizes the Board from December 30, 2018. As a result, Board members whose terms were set to end between January 1, 2019 and December 30, 2019, are extended for another year. The current authorizing legislation extends the terms of James E. Baker and Trevor … Continue reading PIDB Reauthorized by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act
NSA Research Director Wants ‘Accelerated AI’ to Augment Human Analysis
The need to accelerate deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) by executive branch agencies also requires the development and retention of human expertise, according to Dr. Deborah Frincke, Director of Research at the National Security Agency (NSA). Speaking at the industry-sponsored media event “Accelerated AI: Shaping the Future of Government with Artificial Intelligence” (11/13/2018), in Washington, … Continue reading NSA Research Director Wants ‘Accelerated AI’ to Augment Human Analysis
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
New Film Examines the Public Life of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Original PIDB Backer
A new film examines the intellectual, diplomatic, and political career of Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1927-2003), the United States Senator from New York, who in 1999 introduced the first bill to create the Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB). Enacted in December 2000, the PIDB legislation authorized one of 16 recommendations to improve access to government information … Continue reading New Film Examines the Public Life of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Original PIDB Backer
2018 Open Access Week Seeks “Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge”
This week (October 22-28) marks the 10th annual Open Access Week, organized by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) to promote collaboration between global research communities toward achieving Open Access (OA): free online access to scholarly publishing, and the international right to use and distribute scholarly research. In May, the 2018 Open Access … Continue reading 2018 Open Access Week Seeks “Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge”
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
Former PIDB Member Steven Garfinkel passes
Former PIDB member and ISOO Director Steven Garfinkel (1945-2018), died on September 24, 2018, aged 73. Garfinkel entered government service with a distinguished academic record, after attending both George Washington University and its Law School as a Trustee Scholar. In 1970, he received his J.D. (with honors, Law Review), three years after receiving his B.A. … Continue reading Former PIDB Member Steven Garfinkel passes
Tet Offensive Declassification Project Aligns with PIDB Recommendations
Earlier this summer, the Intelligence Community (IC) published newly declassified records about the 1968 Tet offensive on www.intelligence.gov. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Communist-backed military attacks against American forces and American allies in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the declassified records posted are the first in three planned public releases scheduled for this … Continue reading Tet Offensive Declassification Project Aligns with PIDB Recommendations
IARPA Director, Leading Program Scientists Tout “Human Machine Team”
On September 18, 2018, a new Defense One Breakfast Series opened with a high-level panel discussion on “the critical mission imperative of artificial intelligence.” In a lively exchange, IARPA Director Stacey Dixon, former IBM Watson Director Rob High, ODNI Senior Scientist David Honey, and Senior Scientist Michael Wolmetz of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics … Continue reading IARPA Director, Leading Program Scientists Tout “Human Machine Team”