Who can classify documents

Classification Authority. (a) The authority to classify information

How do documents get classified?

Classified information is that which a government or agency deems sensitive enough to national security that access to it must be controlled and restricted. … Handling written classified information is generally straightforward. Documents are marked indicating classification levels.

Who determines whether specific information should be classified?

Who decides whether to classify information? Each president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has issued an executive order that governs the classification system. The current order, issued by President Obama on December 29, 2009, is Executive Order 13526 (“EO 13526”).

WHO classified information?

Executive Order 13526 also specifies who may designate information as originally classified. The order specifies that the president, the vice president, “agency heads and officials,” and officials to whom those officials formally delegate such authority are original classification authorities, sometimes called OCAs.

Who can access classified information?

Classified information may be made available to a person only when the possessor of the information establishes that the person has a valid “need to know” and the access is essential to the accomplishment of official government duties.

How do I know if something is classified?

Classified information is that which a government or agency deems sensitive enough to national security that access to it must be controlled and restricted. For example, I dealt with information related to weapons of mass destruction and their proliferation.

What are the 4 types of classified matters?

• Top Secret (TS)
• Secret.
• Confidential.
• Restricted.
• Official.
• Unclassified.
• Clearance.
• Compartmented information.

Can Protected B documents be emailed?

You can transmit up to and including Protected B information via internal email using Veterans Affairs Canada email system where both addresses are Internal Veterans Affairs Canada addresses. Veterans Affairs Canada e-mail is only to be used for business purposes unless otherwise authorized.

How many classified documents are there?

The United States has three levels of classification: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret.

How long can documents be classified?

The originating agency assigns a declassification date, by default 10 years. After 25 years, declassification review is automatic with nine narrow exceptions that allow information to remain as classified. At 50 years, there are two exceptions, and classifications beyond 75 years require special permission.

Article first time published on

Can you email classified documents?

TOP SECRET material may not be sent through the mail under any circumstances. … It must be transmitted by cleared courier or approved electronic means. SECRET material may be transmitted by U.S. Postal Service registered mail or express mail within and between the United States and its territories.

Who is the original classification authority?

E. Original Classification Authority: An individual authorized to classify information in the first instance including individuals who are designated in writing as “Acting” officials in any of the delegated positions. The OCA positions are listed in Instruction 10.03, and they may not be delegated further.

What is the classification authority for confidential matter?

18. Classification Authority. – Any officer is authorized to assign CONFIDENTIAL classification to any matter in the performance of his duties. 19.

Who has code word clearance?

The term “code word clearance” is sometimes used by the general public and is often described as an “above Top Secret Clearance”. While the term might be a part of the public’s security clearance slang, it is not part of the cleared community’s vocabulary.

What must the government do first before classifying information?

Since the OCA must be the only one to classify the information, the OCA must first determine whether the information is official. This means the information must be owned by, produced by or for, or under the control of the U.S. Government.

What are the 3 levels of classified information?

The U.S. classification of information system has three classification levels — Top Secret, Secret, and Confidential — which are defined in EO 12356. Those levels are used both for NSI and atomic energy information (RD and FRD).

What are the 5 levels of security clearance?

National Security Clearances are a hierarchy of five levels, depending on the classification of materials that can be accessed—Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), Counter-Terrorist Check (CTC), Enhanced Baseline Standard (EBS), Security Check (SC) and Developed Vetting (DV).

What is classified matter?

classified matter means any instrument, document, matter or anything whatsoever relating to or arising from an offer or from the execution of the order/contract, as the case may be, which has been designated by Armscor as “top secret”, “secret”, “confidential” or “restricted”.

What are the 4 data classification levels?

Typically, there are four classifications for data: public, internal-only, confidential, and restricted.

Where are classified documents stored?

Storage by Classification Level All classified material must be stored in a secure room, a GSA-approved storage container, such as a cabinet or safe or a vault or modular vault, or a sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF).

What is the difference between classified and declassified documents?

Basically, an unclassified document has never contained classified information. Declassified documents originally contained classified information that was either removed or redacted, or the information was determined to no longer require protection under E.O. 13526, rendering the document unclassified.

What is the highest level of security clearance?

There are three levels of security clearance, with the highest level being Top Secret. Secret is the next level of clearance and Confidential is the final.

What is the difference between secret and confidential?

As adjectives the difference between confidential and secret is that confidential is (meant to be) kept secret within a certain circle of persons; not intended to be known publicly while secret is being or kept hidden.

Is it illegal to view classified documents?

Unauthorized Disclosure Laws Explained Under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, Section 798, the law prohibits the knowing and willful transmittal of specified classified information to an unauthorized person.

Is personal information protected B?

“Protected A” and “Protected B” indicate information that is sensitive. This could include personal (for example, Human Resources records), industry (for example, trade secrets held in trust), or government sensitivities (for example, Treasury Board Submissions).

Can top secret documents be faxed?

Top Secret information shall not be copied or reproduced without approval from the Top Secret Control Officer. Copiers, scanners, printers, and fax machines that are connected to an unclassified, non- safeguards information (non-SGI) network shall not be used for either SGI or classified information.

Why do documents become declassified?

The automatic declassification process increases the potential release of formerly classified national security information to the general public and researchers, enhancing their knowledge of the United States’ democratic institutions and history, while at the same time ensuring that information which can still cause …

Can cause serious damage to national security?

Examples of serious damage include disruption of foreign relations significantly affecting the national security; significant impairment of a program or policy directly related to the national security; revelation of significant military plans or intelligence operations; and compromise of significant scientific or …

What is an SF 700?

SF 700 is a three-part form consisting of an envelope with a tear-off tab and cover sheet. The cover sheet and face of the envelope provide space for information about the activity, container, type of lock, and who to contact if the container is left open. … SECURITY CONTAINER INFORMATION.

In what order are most documents containing classified information marked?

Each interior page containing classified information is marked top and bottom with the overall (i.e., highest) classification of the page. Each unclassified interior page is marked ‘Unclassified” at the top and bottom. Interior pages that are For Official Use Only need to be marked only at the bottom.

When classified information is in an authorized individuals hand why should the individual use a classified document cover sheet?

When classified information is in an authorized individual’s hands, the individual should use a classified document cover sheet to alert holders to the presence of classified information and to prevent inadvertent view of classified information by unauthorized personnel.