The legal and ethical framework governing this public-interest research project.
This site operates as a public-interest research and documentation project under First Amendment protections for press and research activity. We believe that citizens have a right to understand the infrastructure built with public funds and on public land.
The Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. § 552) serves as our primary legal instrument for public records access. FOIA requires federal agencies to release government records upon request, subject to specific exemptions that protect legitimate interests. This statutory framework gives us the legal basis to request, receive, and publish information obtained through official channels.
FOIA applies to federal agencies. State-level public records laws govern records held by state and local governments. International facilities may be subject to different disclosure regimes.
FOIA is the cornerstone of our research methodology. When you submit a FOIA request to a federal agency, you are exercising a legal right established by Congress. Agencies are required to respond within specific timeframes and must justify any withholding of records.
Exemption 1 covers materials that are properly classified under executive order for national defense or foreign policy purposes. This exemption explains why some FOIA returns arrive with heavy redactions — agencies cannot confirm or deny the existence of certain programs without disclosing classified information.
Exemption 7 protects records compiled for law enforcement purposes. This exemption is frequently cited when agencies withhold operational details about security operations, surveillance activities, or investigative files. It also covers information whose disclosure would interfere with enforcement proceedings.
When we receive heavily redacted documents, we document and publish them anyway. A redacted return is itself evidence — it confirms that something exists worth redacting, and it establishes the categories of information agencies consider sensitive. We note what was redacted, under what exemption, and what that tells us about the facility.
This site publishes only publicly available unclassified information. There is a fundamental legal distinction between:
We do not solicit classified information from government employees, contractors, or any other source.
We do not store classified material on our servers under any circumstances.
We do not publish classified material, regardless of how it may have been obtained by others.
If a submission appears to contain classified material, our policy is immediate deletion with no storage.
Important: This is a policy statement and does not constitute legal advice or immunity. If you have questions about your legal obligations regarding classified information, consult a qualified attorney.
We take safety concerns seriously. While we believe transparency serves the public interest, we also recognize that some information requires careful handling. Our responsible disclosure framework balances these interests.
If you have credible evidence that specific published information poses a genuine safety risk — such as details that could facilitate unauthorized access or reveal vulnerabilities at active facilities — we will review and respond to your concern.
We routinely generalize specific location details beyond what is already publicly available. Coordinates, precise entry points, and detailed access routes are not published. We err on the side of caution when location information could enable harm.
When a credible safety or legal concern is raised by a qualified party, we will promptly review the specific content in question. Where appropriate, we will redact problematic details while preserving the broader public record, or remove content entirely if the risk outweighs the public interest in publication.
For safety concerns, legal questions, or content removal requests, contact us directly. Please provide specific details about the concern and your basis for raising it.
Submit a ConcernWe respect intellectual property rights and comply with applicable law regarding content removal requests. This page outlines our process for handling such requests.
If you are a copyright owner or authorized agent and believe that content on this site infringes your copyright, you may submit a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice. To be effective, your notice must comply with the requirements of 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3) and include:
For non-DMCA removal requests (such as right of reply, factual corrections, or other legal bases), please contact us with:
We are committed to reviewing and responding to all legitimate removal requests within 5-7 business days. Submissions via our contact form are the fastest way to reach us. We do not respond to threatening or unsubstantiated legal demands.