A history of official secrecy

Researchers at Columbia University are working on a project they hope will save a part of U.S history.

They are building a “declassification engine.” Using tools from statistics and computer science, the researchers are trying to archive and review millions of pages of government documents and restore sections of text that officials have redacted. They hope the project will provide a history of official secrecy and help ensure government accountability.

Reporter Amanda Aronczyk spoke with Professor Matthew Connelly about the project:

Learn more about The Declassification Engine.

Featured gallery: Government documents from The Declassification Engine. Credit: Courtesy of The Declassification Engine