Even if the recommendations are implemented, however, it is hard to see how anything will change much. A major problem with classification is controlling the front end of the process. While policy debates drone on, those who classify information do as they please. Tons of documents are classified annually. No one is interested in spending the time, energy or money to oversee the process document by document.
Agency workers classify while intellectuals write reports.
Still, I found two noteworthy ideas in the report. The first is its explanation of lifecycle costs for classification. It may be easy to stamp a document top secret, but significant fiscal consequences are hidden. The document must be protected, people who read it need security clearances, and someone will have to review it from time to time until it is declassified. When classifying a document, the question is not simply whether the information is sensitive.