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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: August 2015

July 2015

• What's Considered 'Classified' Is a Judgment Call by Ken Dilanian, Associated Press, July 31. "The question of whether certain information is classified amounts to a judgment call. The State Department may disagree with the IG about whether information in the emails was classified at the time it was sent."
• The Iran Nuke Documents Obama Doesn't Want You to See by Tim Mak, Daily Beast, July 30. "Seventeen unclassified Iran deal items have been locked in ultra-secure facilities ordinarily used for top secret info. Why is the Obama administration trying to bury this material?"
• The Legal Question Over Hillary Clinton's Secret Emails by Massimo Calabresi, Time, July 29. "Two key questions: Did she know material was classified and did she act negligently handling it?"
• Four pressing questions about Hillary Clinton's State Department email by Lauren Carroll, Politifact, July 29. "Did Hillary Clinton's use of a private email account put national security information at risk? That's the question that's been raised in the past few days as new information has been reported and at times misreported. We find it an impossible question to answer. Our research shows the evidence isn't clear cut."
• Pentagon chief already has legal ability to arm more Stateside troops, study finds by Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, July 29. "The report was posted online by the Federation of American Scientists, a non-partisan Washington think tank."
• The Unique Challenges of Vetting Hillary Clinton's Email by Byron Tau, Wall Street Journal, July 29. "Her use of a personal email server for official purposes has been anything but convenient for the agencies charged with reviewing her emails for public release."
• NSA will destroy millions of American calling records 'as soon as possible' by Ken Dilanian, Associated Press, July 27. "The Obama administration has decided that the National Security Agency will soon stop examining -- and will ultimately destroy -- millions of American calling records it collected under a controversial program revealed by former agency contractor Edward Snowden."
• Watchdogs' stance on Hillary Clinton email review irks transparency advocates by Josh Gerstein, Politico, July 27. "Transparency advocates say the procedures the inspectors general recommended for handling the release of Clinton's email have the potential to slow to a complete stop the already glacial Freedom of Information Act process."
• Clinton Sent Classified Information Over Email While at State Department, Review Finds by Byron Tau, Wall Street Journal, July 24. "Intelligence watchdog finds former secretary of state sent at least four emails from her personal account containing classified information."
• Hillary's emails touch off debate about classified documents by Josh Gerstein, Politico, July 24. "At least four emails Hillary Clinton kept on a private server during her years as Secretary of State were classified 'secret' at the time, according to an inspector general review -- a finding that calls into question her assertion in March that she took care to avoid sending classified materials."
• Inspector General Says Hillary Clinton Emails Contained Classified Information by Zeke J. Miller and Michael Scherer, Time, July 24. "Federal officials have requested an investigation into a potential compromise of classified information related to the handling of documents once stored on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server, government officials confirmed Friday."
• Hillary Clinton likely 'mishandled' secrets because too much is classified by Trevor Timm, The Guardian, July 24. "It's because the US classification system is so insanely bloated and out of control that virtually everything related to foreign policy and national security is, in some way or another, classified."
• Hillary Clinton and Schroedinger's Cat: What Does It Mean to 'Retroactively Classify'? by Elias Groll, Foreign Policy, July 24. "Hillary Clinton's most serious Democratic opponent at this stage of the 2016 presidential contest is her own behavior as secretary of state: Did she or didn't she mishandle classified information during her time as America's top diplomat?"
• Statement from the Inspectors General of the Intelligence Community and the Department of State Regarding the Review of Former Secretary Clinton's Emails, July 24, 2015
• Summary of IC IG support to State Department IG concerning Clinton email, July 23, 2015
• Potential Issues Identified by the Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Concerning the Department of State's Process for the Review of Former Secretary Clinton's Emails under the Freedom of Information Act (ESP-15-04), July 17, 2015
• DOD looks to new analytics center to tackle insider threat by Sean Lyngaas, Federal Computer Week, July 16. "Defense Department officials hope a nascent analytics center will be a potent weapon in their war against unauthorized disclosures of sensitive information and other insider threats."
• Whistleblowing, Classification, and the U.S. Public Interest: What Reforms Are Possible?, Open Society Foundations panel discussion, July 15. "How is, and should, the public interest be taken into consideration in classification and declassification determinations? What trends can be observed concerning classification and declassification? Are there areas where progress could be made in advancing consideration of the public interest?"
• Should Congressional Research Service Reports Be Public? by Hannah Hess, Roll Call, July 14. "By providing public access to CRS reports, we can elevate our national discourse and make it easier for citizens to cut through the misinformation that too often confuses the national debate," Reps. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., and Mike Quigley, D-Ill., wrote in a June 17 letter to House Administration Committee leaders.
• Update on Recent Cyber Incidents at OPM, Information Security Oversight Office notice, July 10. "In the personnel data incident, the number of affected individuals is 4.2 million people. In the background investigations incident, it is 21.5 million people. There is an overlap of 3.6 million people who were included in both incidents. Therefore, 22.1 million people are affected by the overall intrusion."

Older News: June 2015

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Maintained by Steven Aftergood
Updated August 3, 2015