QUESTION: We've heard a lot lately about "Unmasking" in the national security world. One of our experts, Douglas Wise @DHWise007, who served at @DIA and @CIA was asked, "What exactly is unmasking"? Follow this thread for the answer. 
ANSWER: "Many Americans may not be familiar with the procedures for minimizing information the Intelligence Community collects on U.S. Persons. U.S statutes define how information on U.S. Persons is handled.
Under these statutes are a set of procedures designed
to specifically balance the legitimate needs for privacy/civil liberties against the need to use this
information to protect the Nation.
to specifically balance the legitimate needs for privacy/civil liberties against the need to use this
information to protect the Nation.
Examples of the latter are when this information is
necessary to trigger a criminal or counterintelligence investigation, when it would be prudent to
warn other Government officials to avoid exposing sensitive information to someone who might pose a counterintelligence risk,
necessary to trigger a criminal or counterintelligence investigation, when it would be prudent to
warn other Government officials to avoid exposing sensitive information to someone who might pose a counterintelligence risk,
or when a U.S. person is believed to be the target of an
attack by a terrorist organization. For surveillance of targeted U.S. Persons to occur, a Court must approve the Government’s probable cause for collection as well as the techniques/minimization procedures to protect U.S.
attack by a terrorist organization. For surveillance of targeted U.S. Persons to occur, a Court must approve the Government’s probable cause for collection as well as the techniques/minimization procedures to protect U.S.
Persons information. The protection of U.S. Persons information also includes the situation
where the target was a foreign national who communicates with a non-targeted U.S. Person. In
this case the information collected on the U.S. Person is called incidental collection.
where the target was a foreign national who communicates with a non-targeted U.S. Person. In
this case the information collected on the U.S. Person is called incidental collection.
The appropriate statutes require selected agencies of the IC (NSA, FBI, CIA and NCTC) to follow
procedures developed to minimize the collection, retention and dissemination of information
on non-consenting U.S. Persons.
procedures developed to minimize the collection, retention and dissemination of information
on non-consenting U.S. Persons.
Information concerning U.S. Persons may be disseminated if it is foreign intelligence, critical to understanding/assessing foreign intelligence, or if it is evidence of a crime. An example is where NSA “masks” the identity of the U.S. person because
a “large” number of officials may have the need to know the overall information in a report but do not need to know the identity of the U.S. person to perform their duties. A significantly smaller number of officials will
have the need to know and can request NSA to unmask the identity and only designated NSA officials my approve these requests. IC agency personnel who require
access to U.S. Persons information as a normal part of their duties,
access to U.S. Persons information as a normal part of their duties,
are required to undergo training in their agency’s minimization and handling procedures.
Agency compliance with statutory minimization procedures is monitored by the ODNI, DOJ, and
appropriate committees of the Congress."
Agency compliance with statutory minimization procedures is monitored by the ODNI, DOJ, and
appropriate committees of the Congress."
Find more about @DHWise007 Douglas Wise here: linkedin.com/in/doug-wise-b…
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