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> for folks currently holding clearances just reading that story could put them in hot water. Can you elaborate on your last point - why?

jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
It's part of how classification law works in the US DoD. Note: I do not hold a clearance, but I've had to sign affidavits for others, so I know a bit about how it works. Basically, the rules put the burden on the holder of a clearance to not expose themselves to information they shouldn't. If and when it does happen, you need to report it. The way the system works is of course horridly bureaucratic, but on the whole if you report things with honesty early it'll be handled without being a big deal. In any case, this means when you participate in forums/venues where open source intel and clearance holders are likely to interact, you'll see people giving that sort of warning as a courtesy, so that the clearance holders can just dodge the issue. It's sort of like putting a content warning in one of your early slides if you're going to discuss something that could be highly distressing to some people. Probably the most glaring example of this sort of content is the snowden archive. As a clearance holder you would not want to get noticed holding onto some of the documents that are in there, no matter their veracity.
- quercusa 5y ago
  Very useful - thank you!
- bradknowles 5y ago
  During Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the 1990s, when I was working for the Defense Information Systems Agency in the basement of the Pentagon, there were occasionally papers that were banned from the building. Usually just one particular day, but sometimes on multiple occasions. Just because something is printed in a newspaper doesn’t mean that the thing in question is unclassified. And if you have classified material in your possession and you don’t treat it properly (like locking it up in an appropriate safe when it’s going to be out of your hands, even for just a few minutes), then that can get you into some really serious trouble. If the publication in question contains a classified code word used in code word context and you don’t treat it appropriately, well then you’re probably done for. Feel free to try to guess which GURPS book from Steve Jackson Games that would be, but you would almost certainly be wrong.
  - jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
    > Feel free to try to guess which GURPS book from Steve Jackson Games that would be, but you would almost certainly be wrong. I love this comment so much :P

jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago

It's part of how classification law works in the US DoD. Note: I do not hold a clearance, but I've had to sign affidavits for others, so I know a bit about how it works. Basically, the rules put the burden on the holder of a clearance to not expose themselves to information they shouldn't. If and when it does happen, you need to report it. The way the system works is of course horridly bureaucratic, but on the whole if you report things with honesty early it'll be handled without being a big deal. In any case, this means when you participate in forums/venues where open source intel and clearance holders are likely to interact, you'll see people giving that sort of warning as a courtesy, so that the clearance holders can just dodge the issue. It's sort of like putting a content warning in one of your early slides if you're going to discuss something that could be highly distressing to some people. Probably the most glaring example of this sort of content is the snowden archive. As a clearance holder you would not want to get noticed holding onto some of the documents that are in there, no matter their veracity.

quercusa 5y ago
Very useful - thank you!
bradknowles 5y ago
During Desert Shield/Desert Storm in the 1990s, when I was working for the Defense Information Systems Agency in the basement of the Pentagon, there were occasionally papers that were banned from the building. Usually just one particular day, but sometimes on multiple occasions. Just because something is printed in a newspaper doesn’t mean that the thing in question is unclassified. And if you have classified material in your possession and you don’t treat it properly (like locking it up in an appropriate safe when it’s going to be out of your hands, even for just a few minutes), then that can get you into some really serious trouble. If the publication in question contains a classified code word used in code word context and you don’t treat it appropriately, well then you’re probably done for. Feel free to try to guess which GURPS book from Steve Jackson Games that would be, but you would almost certainly be wrong.
- jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
  > Feel free to try to guess which GURPS book from Steve Jackson Games that would be, but you would almost certainly be wrong. I love this comment so much :P