[Infowarrior] - US intel folks rethink classification policy

[Richard Forno]

(c/o Secrecynews)

U.S. INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES RETHINK CLASSIFICATION POLICY

U.S. intelligence agencies have embarked upon a process to develop a uniform
classification policy and a single classification guide that could be used
by the entire U.S. intelligence community, according to a newly obtained
report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The way that intelligence agencies classify information is not only
frustrating to outsiders, as it is intended to be, but it has also impeded
interagency cooperation and degraded agency performance.

In order to promote improved information sharing and intelligence community
integration, the ODNI undertook a review of classification policies as a
prelude towards establishing a new Intelligence Community Classification
Guide that would replace numerous individual agency classification policy
guides.

The initial ODNI review, completed in January 2008, identified fundamental
defects in current intelligence classification policy.

"The definitions of 'national security' and what constitutes 'intelligence'
-- and thus what must be classified -- are unclear," the review team found.

"Many interpretations exist concerning what constitutes harm or the degree
of harm that might result from improper disclosure of the information, often
leading to inconsistent or contradictory guidelines from different
agencies."

"There appears to be no common understanding of classification levels among
the classification guides reviewed by the team, nor any consistent guidance
as to what constitutes 'damage,' 'serious damage,' or 'exceptionally grave
damage' to national security... There is wide variance in application of
classification levels."

Among the recommendations presented in the initial review were that original
classification authorities should specify clearly the basis for classifying
information, e.g. whether the sensitivity derives from the content of the
information, or the source of the information, or the method by which it is
analyzed, the date or location it was acquired, etc. Current policy requires
that the classifier be "able" to describe the basis for classification but
not that he or she in fact do so.

A copy of the unreleased ODNI report on classification policy was obtained
by Secrecy News.

See "Intelligence Community Classification Guidance: Findings and
Recommendations Report," January 2008:

http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/intel/class.pdf