Provides information on the number of individuals, government employees and contractors, with security clearances, the number denied clearance, the time it takes to process clearances, the number of security clearance investigations, and more.  From the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Reports the decision of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to take down its website for technical reports, apparently due to concern about security lapses.  Posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Describes the purposes for which secret sessions may be held, the constitutional authority for such sessions, and the historical occasions when they occurred.  From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Official version of the Justice Department Office of Legal Consul memo on the legal case for killing Americans involved with anti-American terrorist groups.  Released after the leak of the document by NBC News.  Posted by the Federation of American Scientists.

Instructions which establish how the Defense Department carries out classified intelligence programs involving security measures such as polygraph testing, special eligibility reviews, and other controls on information. From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

White paper from the Justice Department which sets forth legal framework for when and why the U.S. government can kill U.S. citizens engaged in certain activities.  From NBC News and the Justice Department, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Tries to balance the need to share security-sensitive information with those who need it to protect the public and the need to protect classified and sensitive information.  From the White House

A collection of ten declassified national security documents that reveal plans for an automatic attack directed against the Soviet Union and China if the president were lost during an attack on the U.S.  From the National Security Archive.

Report of a special board set up by the president to reconsider and suggest improvements to the current information security system of the federal government.  Calls the current system outdated, compromised by over-classification, and subject to frequent unauthorized disclosures.  Offers 14 recommendations for change.  From the Public Interest Declassification Board

The U.S. electric power system is vulnerable to terrorist attacks that could cause more damage than natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy.  The report, which recommends ways to make the system less vulnerable, was restricted from public release for 5 years by the Homeland Security Department.  From the National Academy of Sciences

This report assesses the meaning of transparency as related to federal government information and discusses its scholarly and practical definitions.  It also discusses the laws, regulations, and initiatives that make information more available or protect it from public release.  Ironically this report on transparency from Congress is only available because of its posting by a private organization.  From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Extends whistleblower protection by prohibiting official reprisals against an intelligence community employee who makes a protected disclosure concerning unlawful activity or waste, fraud, or abuse.  From the White House, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Reports the year’s developments in information classification, assertions of executive privilege, Freedom of Information Act requests and dispositions, whistleblower decisions and more.  From Open the Government.Org.

Provides information on the number of individuals who held or were approved for security clearances by the U.S. government.  Reports that 4.86 million people had security clearances as employees of the government or contractors.  From the Office of the Director of National Intelligence

This report describes the underlying controversy, the potential benefits and harms of publishing certain scientific manuscripts, the actions taken by domestic and international stakeholders, and options to improve the way research is handled to minimize security concerns.  From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

This report identifies some criminal statutes that may apply to the leaking of classified defense information either by government insiders or foreign agents.  This report also discusses First Amendment implications related to prosecutions of domestic or foreign media organizations and associated individuals.   From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Reports that the federal government spent $11.3 billion to protect classified information, an increase of 12% over the previous year.  Also presents cost trends since 1995.  From the Information Security Oversight Office

The annual report on classification and declassification of information by the federal government.   52.7 million pages were reviewed for declassification and 26.7 million were declassified, a slower pace than the preceding year.  From the Information Security Oversight Office, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Press release by a private research institution on a federal district judge’s refusal to order the declassification of the 5^th volume of the official history of the Bay of Pigs attempted invasion of Cuba.  The CIA had fought against the declassification arguing that historical accuracy would be compromised if the documents were released to the public.  Also contains links to the judge’s ruling and the full text of the previously released four volumes.   From the National Security Archive

Annual Justice Department report that reveals that 1745 applications for authority to conduct physical or electronic surveillance for foreign intelligence purposes were submitted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court during 2011 and none were rejected.  There were also 205 applications for access to business records, and the FBI made 16,511 requests for National Security Letter requests for information about more than 7,000 persons.  From the Justice Department, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Annual report on agency compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act in making federal government information available to those who petition for it.   From the Justice Department

The Classified Information Procedures Act provides criminal procedures that permit a trial judge to rule on the relevance or admissibility of classified information in a secure setting.  It also provides for the defense to notify the court of classified information it may seek to disclose.  The report further discusses the admissibility of classified information in trial settings.  From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

A declassified memo from State Department counselor, Philip Zelikow, who served during the Bush administration,  warning that the enhanced interrogation techniques used on detainees by the CIA were in violation of the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.  The White House attempted to destroy all copies of the memo but one copy was located in the State Department archives.  From the National Security Archive

Vol. 4 of the new four volume policy on classification and declassification from the Department of Defense.  Describes procedures to be followed for certain types of unclassified information that requires access controls and protective measures for a variety of reasons.  From the Department of Defense

Vol. 3 of the new four volume policy on classification and declassification from the Department of Defense.  Includes an extended discussion of how to respond to unauthorized disclosures of classified information.  From the Department of Defense

Vol. 2 of the new four volume policy on classification and declassification from the Department of Defense.

Vol. 1 of the new four volume policy on classification and declassification from the Department of Defense.

Describes the motivations and occasions for legislative secrecy, reviews several common and recurring secrecy/transparency issues, identifies lawmaking stages typically related to closed door activities, and offers summary observations.  From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Reviews the justification, history, and frequency of secret sessions of the House and Senate.  Includes tables listing all secret sessions of the House and Senate, the dates, and the topic.  From the Congressional Research Service, posted by the Federation of American Scientists

Establishes revised policies and procedures for notification of Congressional Intelligence oversight committees about intelligence agency activities.  From the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, posted by the Federation of American Scientists