Official secrecy and the management of security records in the global age of terrorism and information

Abstract

The information society ushered in a new era of information for the rural communities of Africa, including some disclosure of security records. However, the proliferations of terrorist attacks ever since the 2001 US, Twin Tower bombings have increasingly placed access to records under the radar screen. This paper places the cardinal archival tenant of “free access to information” under cross-examination and argues that as the security forces race against time to contain the bad boys there is need to revisit the antagonistic concepts of access and secrecy. In Africa, where the Anti-George Bush sentiments are high, such a suggestion runs the risk of out-right rejection. The correlation between access to information and a rise in terrorism should propel a paradigm shift in the way archivists interact with access and secrecy.

Keywords: security records, disclosure, secrecy, security information

ESARBICA Journal Vol. 24 2005: 37-42