A note from the NSA, how it works? – Release

TOP SECRET

This is the highest level of classification used in the United States, since their publication could result in “exceptionally grave damage” to the country’s national security. Of the 4.8 million Americans allowed to see classified documents, 1.4 million were entitled “TOP SECRET” in 2012.

COMINT

With regard to signals intelligence (SIGINT French, SIGINT -Signal INTelligence- English), COMINT (COMmunication INTelligence) means listening telecommunications.

GAMMA

“COMINT” is the basic classification level for SIGINT, documents “even more highly protected” are themselves classified “COMINT GAMMA”.

ORCON

The term Originator Controlled indicates that any release of the document must be validated by the service which is behind.

NOFORN

NO FOReign National, which prohibits the distribution of classified documents to any non-US citizen, although it can also access to classified documents. Conversely, the documents that can be shared with the NSA partners are labeled REL TO ( “authorized for realease to” ) followed by the code of the countries concerned.

NOS

National Security Agency: the US agency in charge of monitoring and spying telecommunications. It would employ between 30,000 and 40,000 spies and would have an annual budget of over $ 10 billion (€ 8.9 billion).

Global Sigint Highlights

This is the title given to the NSA reports on information and interesting information it had intercepted.

TS // SI // G-OC / NF

TOP SECRET // Special Intelligence (SI) -GAMMA // ORIGINATOR CONTROLLED (ORCON) / NO FOReign National (NOFORN). In terms of COMINT, Special Intelligence is the most used term for and control documents concerning the interception of telecommunications.

Foreign satellite, Unconventional

Foreign satellite (foreign satellite), Unconventional (unconventional) means the methods used for the interception of telecommunications.

French, German Governmental

Indicates that the document focuses on French and German government communications.

ZG / OO / 503643-12, 211549Z; ZG / OO / 503541-12, 161711Z

This is the character set used by the military to express the date and time. Z corresponds to the “Zulu Time” is the time zone of the main European countries, -12 the year.