In 2020, a cache of unredacted documents related to Operation Dark Heart was released, providing new insights into the operation. The documents, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, revealed:
Operation Dark Heart was marred by controversy, with several criticisms raised: operation dark heart unredacted
The controversy is rooted in a massive bureaucratic failure: In 2020, a cache of unredacted documents related
Operation Dark Heart: The Story Behind the Unredacted Truth is a memoir by retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer that became a flashpoint for national security and First Amendment rights. It provides a rare look at the inner workings of black-ops intelligence in Afghanistan and the subsequent battle over what the American public is allowed to know. The Core of the Controversy The Core of the Controversy Shaffer described specific
Shaffer described specific tactics used by military intelligence, including "open source" data mining techniques. While the DoD argued these were classified tradecraft, critics noted that many of these techniques were already standard knowledge in the intelligence community or described in unclassified academic papers regarding data fusion.