DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
(U) The Basics of 'REL TO'
FROM:
SID Classification Advisory Officer (S02L1)
Run Date: 03/14/2006
(U//FOUO) Under what conditions can various types of government information be released to
the general public, to Second Parties, or to Third Parties? Here's some information to clarify:
(U) First, let's look at unclassified information:
(U) Information marked (U) may be releasable to the general public. However, if it is
unclassified U.S. Government information, it must be approved for release to
the public. Some unclassified U.S. Government information is not releasable to the
public. FOUO (For Official Use Only) information may be withheld from the general public
under the Freedom of Information Act. FOUO information may be releasable to our
foreign partners under certain circumstances, but may not be assumed to always be
releasable.
(U//FOUO) Now, let's look at SIGINT that has no control markings (e.g. it is marked TS//SI
or S//SI):
(U//FOUO) SIGINT that is not marked either NOFORN or with a REL TO is automatically
releasable to our Second Party partners , based on the SISR ( Signals Intelligence
Security Regulations ) issued under the authority of the DCI in 1999.
(U//FOUO) ...Bear in mind that the above applies only to SIGINT:
(U//FOUO) Documents marked C, S, or TS without a releasability marking are not
releasable to any foreign partner unless they are SIGINT or SIGINT-related
information. So, for example, TK or HCS material would not be automatically releasable
to any foreign partner.
(U) How about Third Parties ? When can information be released to them?
(U//FOUO) SIGINT or SIGINT-related information may not be released to Third
Party partners in the absence of a REL TO, SIGINT Exchange designator or a
DIDO (Designated Intelligence Disclosure Official) decision. Similarly, non-SIGINT
information material may not be released to any foreign partners in the absence of a REL
TO or DIDO decision.
(U) The CLASSIFY (email-based) tool has a 5-EYES default to remind users that classified
information which is not 5-EYES must be encrypted before transmission across NSANet.
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
DYNAMIC PAGE -- HIGHEST POSSIBLE CLASSIFICATION IS
TOP SECRET // SI / TK // REL TO USA AUS CAN GBR NZL
DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108