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Daily Archives: July 20, 2017

ISOO 2016 Annual Report to the President

“Today, the Information Security Oversight Office of the National Archives (ISOO) released online its Report to the President for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016.  This annual report includes information on government agencies’ security classification activities and costs, and provides an update on the implementation of the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) program.  This annual report was mandated by Executive Order 13526, Classified National Security Information.

FY 2016 report highlights:

Classification Activity:

  • A 27 percent decrease in original classification activity, for a 2016 total of 39,240 decisions.
  • A 5 percent increase in derivative classification action, up to 55,206,368 decisions.

Declassification Activity:

  • Under automatic, systematic, and discretionary declassification review, agencies reviewed 102,172,703 pages and declassified 43,943,600 pages of historically valuable records.  This was a 17 percent increase in the number of pages reviewed and 19 percent increase in the number of pages declassified.
  • Agencies reviewed 248,413 pages under mandatory declassification review and declassified 117,453 pages in their entirety, declassified 92,678 pages in part, and retained classification of 38,282 pages in full.

CUI background and implementation:

ISOO published the CUI Federal regulation (32 CFR part 2002) in the Federal Register on September 14, 2016.  This regulation promotes the protection of CUI, appropriate information sharing, and consistent safeguarding and dissemination practices.
ISOO helps agencies implement the CUI program by:
Conducting formal appraisals of existing agency practices;
Consulting with executive branch agencies and supporting elements (i.e., component agencies and non-Federal entities) on strategies and practices related to implementation; and
Raising awareness of key CUI program elements, timelines, and requirements through briefings, training sessions, and panel discussions.

Industrial Security:

The National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee (NISPPAC) established an Insider Threat working group to facilitate information sharing within security agencies on insider threat programs. ISOO Director Mark Bradley chairs this Committee and appoints its members.

ISOO is updating the Directive on Safeguarding Classified National Security Information (32 CFR part 2004).

The Information Security Oversight Office, established in 1978, is responsible to the President for overseeing the Government-wide security classification program, and receives policy and program guidance from the National Security Council.  ISOO has been part of the National Archives since 1995 and includes :

The Classification Management Staff develops security classification policies for classifying, declassifying and safeguarding national security information generated in Government and industry.
The Industry and Operations Staff evaluates the effectiveness of the security classification programs established by Government and industry to protect information vital to our national security interests.
The Controlled Unclassified Information Staff develops standardized Controlled Unclassified Information policies and procedures to protect sensitive information through effective data access and control measures.”

Paper – ‘I’ve Got Nothing to Hide’ and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy

Solove, Daniel J., ‘I’ve Got Nothing to Hide’ and Other Misunderstandings of Privacy. San Diego Law Review, Vol. 44, p. 745, 2007; GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 289. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=998565 “In this short essay, written for a symposium in the San Diego Law Review, Professor Daniel Solove examines the nothing… Continue Reading

Hundreds of rules and proposed regs frozen or jettisoned by Trump administration

The Washington Post – “…The Trump administration said it was pulling or suspending 860 pending regulations. Of those, 469 were being completely withdrawn. Another 391 were being set aside or reevaluated. These proposed regulations could be revisited at some point or dropped altogether…“These rollbacks of critical public protections will leave American workers, consumers and children… Continue Reading

Humans collectively speaks over 7,000 distinct languages

The Conversation: “…People don’t speak one universal language, or even a handful. Instead, today our species collectively speaks over 7,000 distinct languages. And these languages are not spread randomly across the planet. For example, far more languages are found in tropical regions than in the temperate zones. The tropical island of New Guinea is home… Continue Reading

One Book Has 40 Metro Maps From Around the World

“The text [in this link] is an excerpt from the book “One Metro World” which [Paris-based architect Jug Cerovic] self-published with a KickStarter Campaign in 2017…Metro systems around the world are strikingly homogeneous. They share common mechanisms and infrastructure characteristics. Most systems are located underground, trains run on tracks and usually serve a fixed route… Continue Reading

Google – Welcome to Outer Space View

Google Blog: “Starting today, you can now explore the International Space Station in Street View in Google Maps. Thomas Pesquet, Astronaut at the European Space Agency (ESA), spent six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a flight engineer. He returned to Earth in June 2017, and in this post he tells us about what… Continue Reading

Research – Humans produce almost 20,000 plastic bottles every second

We are literally drowning the earth in plastic waste according to numerous studies and research papers that repeatedly document the perhaps insurmountable damage done by human abuse, waste and collective neglect.  From a recent article in the Guardian, just one sentence that you need to genuinely understand, process and engage with: “Fewer than half of… Continue Reading

Citizens unredacted personal data concerning election fraud commission posted by White House

Follow up to resources with previous posting – States reject demand to provide all voter personal info to Trump election fraud commission – via Slate – White House Publishes Names, Emails, Phone Numbers, Home Addresses of Critics – “People who spoke up about their concerns over privacy suddenly found key private details, including their email… Continue Reading