July 29, 2015
Peter Swire, in a paper for the New America Cybersecurity Initiative, considers what the decrease in the shelf-life of secrets means for the intelligence community. In The Declining Half-Life of Secrets, Swire recommends a system overhaul with respect to the intelligence community’s approach when classified information has been gathered, stored and prematurely and/or wrongfully disclosed. His recommendations flow from the characteristics of our present-day landscape, composed of evolving sociological and technological factors. Swire proposes improved communications and greater transparency on the part of intelligence agencies, along with the development of action plans when notable secrets are purposely or inadvertently divulged to the masses on the “front page.”