CIA goes public with huge online declassified database

Everyone’s favourite intelligence agency, the CIA, has today made 50 years’ worth of its research archive available online. This includes the late batch of data from the past 25 years.

The agency is required to release declassified files every quarter century, thanks to the Federal Records Act.

Previously only accessible via a public terminal system in Maryland, the CIA has migrated the entire archive to the web, allowing practically everyone with a browser and internet connection to access them. Even you, Mr. Snowden.

Dubbed CREST, the CIA’s archive totals close to 12-million pages of declassified files including around 930 000 documents. And no, it’s not all useless information either.

12-million pages of once-CIA classified information is now available to the public on CREST

“The CREST collection covers a myriad of topics, such as the early CIA history, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Berlin Tunnel project, the Korean War, and the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft”, the agency adds in a press release.

And if that isn’t quite to your fancy, there are also files covering UFO sightings and the US Army’s STAR GATE project, which involved researching and studying individuals with telepathic powers and psychokinesis. Think Jean Grey and Professor X.

If you’re interested in accessing the searchable archive, you can find it by visiting CREST here.

Feature image: Kirsty Hall via Flickr