Archive Publishes Secret Directive Governing Interception of Communications Involving U.S. Persons
On Friday, October 6, the National Security Archive at The George Washington University published a newly declassified United States Signals Intelligence Directive (USSID). This version of USSID 18, issued in July 1993, currently governs the National Security Agency’s interception of communications involving U.S. persons. Until publication of the directive, which was obtained under the Freedom of Information Act on September 20, 2000, the only version of USSID 18 available to the public dated back to 1980.