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Memory Hole Un-Redacts Redacted DOJ Memo

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the poorly-hidden-secrets dept.

DrDNA writes "After a Freedom of Information Act request, the US Justice Department released a study on workplace diversity. However, nearly half of the memo was blacked-out. In what was apparently an incredible goof, it was posted in a PDF format called Image+Text. The folks at The Memory Hole simply removed the image, revealing the redacted text. The redacted text was highly critical of the DOJ's diversity efforts, as the New York Times reports." Folks, if you're going to be sneaky, at least do enough research to make sure you're really being sneaky.

8 of 453 comments (clear)

  1. Sneakiness by cperciva · · Score: 5, Funny

    Folks, if you're going to be sneaky, at least do enough research to make sure you're really being sneaky.

    Yes, but how do we know this wasn't intentional? Maybe the employee in charge of the redacting wanted that part of the memo to get out, so he deliberately redacted improperly.

    Or maybe that's just what he wants us to think...

    --
    Tarsnap: Online backups for the truly paranoid
    1. Re:Sneakiness by wirelessbuzzers · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Yes, but how do we know this wasn't intentional? Maybe the employee in charge of the redacting wanted that part of the memo to get out, so he deliberately redacted improperly.

      This would be a brilliant idea to spread false information. Instead of just publishing false information, write false information into a PDF and cover it with black rectangles. Not only do you have all the conspiracy theorists believiing whatever BS you wrote, you also have have a defense should anyone find out: it was blacked out, you weren't supposed to read it.

      --
      I hereby place the above post in the public domain.
  2. your tax dollars at work by dauvis · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I had information that I didn't want the public to see I would have at least made sure that the information was not accessible by someone who is using a hex editor. I made a PDA program for myself that stored passwords I had for various websites (when you have a different one for each site, it sometimes gets a little hard to keep track of them in your head). However, before I actually started using it, I looked at the binary image of the record or the PDA that was being created. Well, it turned out that the mechanism for "securely" storing the information was just making it inaccessible through the API. In the end, I had to write my own storage mechanism using a standard encryption technique. The moral of this story is, just because you can't get to it doesn't mean it's not there for someone to find.

    Of course the people/person at The Memory Hole will be labeled as a hacker/pirate/terrorist by the justice department.

  3. What they remove by big_debacle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think it is most interesting to see what the government has decided shouldn't be revealed to the public. Classified sources? Nope. National Security threat? Nope. Poor HR? Yes. Discrimination within the government? Yes.

    Not to incite flames, but this speaks volumes about the Bush administration.

  4. Re:This happened once before... by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 5, Insightful
    You see, this document was supposed to be released to the public anyway. The redaction was dirty pool, and none of the information was a national secret. It was simply embarrasing to those in power.

    Truth be told the fact it was redacted in the first place is far more disturbing than the actual content that was removed. Especially since its release was the subject of a Freedom of Information Act case.

    --
    "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
    --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
  5. Re:This happened thrice before... by VValdo · · Score: 5, Informative
    Yes, it happened a few times...

    ...with a Carnivore review team...

    ...with a justice department document...

    ...and a CIA document containing agent's names


    W

    --
    -------------------
    This is my SIG. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
  6. encryption techniques by giblfiz · · Score: 5, Funny

    I suppose this is better than just changing the font to wingdings, but then SCO probably has a patent on that

  7. Can we give the parent comment a score of 6? by bigpat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Truth be told the fact it was redacted in the first place is far more disturbing than the actual content that was removed."

    Government representatives are only supposed to keep stuff secret that would give a potential enemy vital information... blacking out anything that doesn't meet this criteria should be a hanging offense. If this report is true, then this is obviously corruption in its most base and basic form.

    Next thing you know we will be trillions of dollars in debt spending half our income on taxes with social security about to collapse and being told that everything will be okay. Oh wait a sec...