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(U) Write Right: Frequently Asked Question: Where Do I Go for Help
With USSID SP0018 Issues?
FROM:
of the Reporting Board (S12)
Run Date: 03/09/2006
(U) Answer: It depends on what the issue is. There's some
confusion over what "getting the USSID 18 briefing" or "USSID 18
training" actually is, and we hope to clear that up with this column.
There is an unfortunately widespread misconception that there is
one comprehensive official "USSID 18 briefing." (Yes, we know the
new name is USSID SP0018, but the people asking the questions
invariably use the old name.)
(U) First of all, a quick definition: USSID SP0018 (formerly USSID
18) prescribes policies and procedures and assigns responsibilities
to ensure that the missions and functions of the United States
SIGINT System (USSS) are conducted in a manner that safeguards
the constitutional rights of U.S. persons.
(U) Now, how do reporters apply these policies?
(U) The first stop should be at the SIGINT Directorate's Office of
Oversight and Compliance. Enter " go oversight " in your
browser to find a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions
covering Reporting as well as Targeting, Database Access, the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and Information
Sharing. O&C offers briefings on these topics; for instance, analysts
with access to raw traffic databases must have the targeting,
a.k.a. collection, brief every two years to maintain their access.
(U) O&C conducts some briefings jointly with the Office of the
General Counsel (OGC), so we hear questions like, "is this the
USSID 18 briefing that the lawyers give?" OGC can tell you what
authorities and restrictions NSA operates under; its web page ("go
gc") carries copies of all executive orders, Department of Defense
Directives, NSA Regulations, and other statutes that govern the
collection, production, and dissemination of intelligence by NSA.
The OGC's Operations Group can provide briefings on USSID
SP0018 issues that can be tailored to your office's particular needs.
(U//FOUO) Finally, for questions about how to handle U.S.
identities in SIGINT reporting, there is a class taught by longtime
reporting experts in the Intelligence Analysis curriculum of the
National Cryptologic School. RPTG-2018's subject matter was
recently updated and a number of new instructors certified both at
NSA Headquarters and at the Cryptologic Centers (see related
article in the ISS Spotlight) . There are several pre-requisites for
this two-day course, as it is meant for experienced reporters who
are familiar with all aspects of SIGINT reporting.
(U//FOUO) The course briefly touches on the background that led
to the promulgation of USSID 18, and then moves into the cases
where reporters can identify a U.S. person. It discusses ways to
obscure identities while still retaining foreign intelligence value, and
ways to avoid identifying U.S. persons through the context of the
report. It also addresses procedures for handling those cases
SERIES:
(U) Write Right '06
1. Write Right : Grab
Bag
2. Write Right :
Frequently Asked
Question: Where Do
I Go for Help With
USSID SP0018
Issues?
3. Write Right : The
Style Manual vs.
USSID 300 -- er,
USSID CR1400
4. Write Right : The
Paperless Society
5. Write Right : Is That
Collateral, or Is It a
Comment?
6. Write Right : What's
a URS Center?
7. Write Right : Caveat
Scrutator (Or, 'But I
Saw It on the
Internet!')
8. Write Right : Seven
Things Not To Do in a
SIGINT Report
9. Write Right :
Breaking an Old
Reporter's Heart
10. Write Right : Where
Does It Say I Can't?
11. Write Right : Urban
Myths of SIGINT: 'I
Can Just Mark It
ORCON'
12. Write Right : Loaded
Words: Don't
Politicize Reports
where consent, threat, or emergencies allow reporters to identify
U.S. persons. Finally, the class addresses the various types of
waivers that will allow a reporter to identify a U.S. person in a
SIGINT report.
(U//FOUO) The class provides students with many opportunities to
use the references and guidance that exist on this topic, which are
available on The Reporting Page's new USSID SP0018 Corner .
Since most of the class will consist of exercises and discussion, the
school has declined many requests to present it in a self-paced,
computer-based format. The examples that each student brings up
necessitates examination of the basis for any decision, and each
offering of the class has so far provided an opportunity to improve
the course.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid_comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108