Professors react to Bush's publication restrictions

President Bush announced Feb. 16 that the U.S. administration is taking measures to increase the security of scientific secrets — a decision that could constrain academic freedom by limiting what professors can publish.

After Bush's announcement, the U.S. administration withdrew more than 6,000 technical documents from public release and is drafting a new policy that will lead to more withdrawals. Bush is also asking academic communities to limit the scientific information released to the public.

While Bush says the new legislation will protect information on weapons of mass destruction from falling into unfriendly hands, professors reacted to these new security measures with mixed emotions.

"We obviously don't want to make it easier for terrorists to successfully develop weapons of mass destruction [WMD]," Wilson School professor Frank von Hippel said in an e-mail.

Wilson School professor Jack Matlock echoed von Hippel's views.

"The problem is primarily with government laboratories, and I agree that publication of information regarding how to make WMD is not a good idea," he said in an e-mail.

Von Hippel said there is no harm in asking researchers to be aware of potential dangers that could result from publishing information.

He suggested that non-governmental groups become involved in determining what information is and is not appropriate for public consumption.

"Rather than leave journal editors entirely on their own, it also would be useful for the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering to organize panels to try to provide some balanced guidance to the extent that is possible before the fact," he said.