Sunday, December 18, 2011

Declassified Documents Find a HOME on the Internet

The Black Vault internet archive opens up FREE hosting, and full credit, to researchers who want their FOIA documents online and available to the world at no charge.
 
NORTH HOLLYWOOD (BlackVault) – December 18, 2011 – As 2012 is right around the corner, the world is sure to face new challenges, obstacles, and battles to overcome.  Some theorize the end of the world in 2012, while others beg for a more open world society to calm the masses.

World governments and politicians alike are scrambling to find a way to bring peace to global uprisings; whether they are peaceful or aggressive.  And regardless of where in the world these protesters reside, they seemingly all want the same thing – knowledge and information – whether it be on their money; their future; their well-being; their families; their government or most of all… their future.

Many of the protesters around the globe will probably contest that Sir Francis Bacon may have said their message best, “scientia potentia est,” or as we know it today, “Knowledge is Power.” And to gain that knowledge, some are taking it to the streets, while others, take it to the pen and paper.  Well, in 2011, maybe it’s more of a keyboard.

The Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, has been responsible for the release of literally MILLIONS of pages of knowledge and information.  Declassified from the bowels of the U.S. Government and Military archives, very rarely does the public know, or even understand, what is truly available to them.  In 1996, John Greenewald, Jr. of The Black Vault internet archive (www.theblackvault.com), realized that problem – and began archiving nearly three quarters of a million pages of this material, which grows nearly every day.

Now, more than fifteen years later, in an attempt to bring the knowledge base of the archive to the next level, Greenewald has opened up the archive to all researchers, organizations and even government agencies that have no time or resources to archive the data by offering a free home for the documents released under the FOIA.  FULL credit is given to the submitting entity… individual or otherwise (no credit is also an option, if desired).

The Black Vault has the resources to archive literally millions of pages of records, whether they be textual, photographic, or cinematic.  They are not sold – rather they are released for FREE on the archive, and preserved for decades to come.

The submission process is simple.  Ideally, the document is submitted in a .pdf format to john@greenewald.com, with your FOIA response letter attached (the entire correspondence chain is preferred, but not required).   This ensures you did have an active case number, and the agency truly sent you the document. (The Black Vault is NOT WikiLeaks – and does not release “leaked” documents)  All personal information will be blacked out by The Black Vault, ie: any identifying address, etc., but will leave name/agency attached, unless otherwise specified.

Once the document is received, and verified, it will be added to the archive in the appropriate category, and the submitter e-mailed with the link to share.

Knowledge IS Power… and despite its critics, the FOIA has produced some amazing results on the federal, and on the state, level.  Don’t let the information you obtain stay in a filing cabinet… share it with the world.

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John Greenewald, Jr.
The Black Vault Headquarters
http://www.theblackvault.com

john@greenewald.com


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