SIPDIS CAPTION GUIDANCE - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 020922 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT AINF NET CENTRIC DIPLOMACY SUBJECT: SIPDIS CAPTION GUIDANCE - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR ALL DCMS, CABLE DRAFTERS, AND REPORTING OFFICERS REF: 08STATE120090 08STATE112582 07STATE160266 06STATE175460 06STATE089712 06STATE083673 05STATE226504 ¶1. SUMMARY: A recent State Department Inspector General review of the use of the SIPRNet Distribution (SIPDIS) caption concluded that a significant percentage of overseas missions do not fully understand the circumstances under which this caption should be used. This message is an effort to rectify that situation. SIPDIS was approved in 2005 as a cable caption that indicates the cable has been deemed appropriate for widely sharing within an interagency audience on the USG's Secret-level network known as SIPRNet. SIPDIS-captioned messages are automatically posted to State's Net- Centric Diplomacy (NCD) system, which is accessible to all State users via ClassNet. All reference messages listed in this message are available via the NCD system; they comprise an extensive body of guidance on the use of the SIPDIS caption and related issues, as well as the evolving capabilities of the NCD program established in ¶2004. END SUMMARY Frequently Asked Questions -------------- ¶2. What happens when I put the SIPDIS caption on a cable? (U) SIPDIS-captioned cables are automatically published to the NCD website, which is accessible to all U.S. Government personnel with access to the USG's Secret-level network known as SIPRNet. (U) From ClassNet - http://ncd.state.sgov.gov ¶3. What is the benefit of using SIPDIS? (U) Once cables are on NCD they are easily accessible through modern, web-based technologies by several hundred thousand readers across the government. NCD also associates a single URL with your message, so readers can send or post links to your message to expand your audience. It also gives readers the ability to recommend and comment on your message, add attachments, and the system keeps track of how many people have read it. NCD also automatically links to reference and response cables that are in the system making it easier to find associated messages. In short, the NCD system allows users to apply social networking principles to traditional diplomatic reporting messages. (U) Posts and offices are reminded that adding the SIPDIS caption is not a substitute for adding other agencies as an action or info addressee on cables. Additionally, message creators are reminded of their responsibility to ensure that substantive comments and attachments appended to messages resident on the NCD or actions taken based on information obtained from NCD are appropriately preserved in official recordkeeping systems. (U) The NCD system also ensures that SIPDIS-captioned messages are automatically posted to Embassy or Department web pages, Diplopedia- S (http://diplopedia.state.sgov.gov),and other websites like Intellipedia (http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki) and search tools like Google (http://www.intelink.sgov.gov) available on the USG's Secret-level network. The NCD system supports Really Simply Syndication (RSS) feeds, which allows users to identify content of interest in the NCD system and automatically feed it to other preferred websites or tools, e.g., http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Stat e_Department . Most importantly, the NCD system is available to State and interagency users at any time from any ClassNet or SIPRNet-enabled terminal, making it extremely easy to coordinate and share information with your Country Team and the broader USG foreign affairs, national security, and law enforcement communities with nothing more than a working web browser. ¶4. Is SIPRNet the same as ClassNet? (U) No. ClassNet is the State Department's secret-level intranet. SIPRNet is the U.S. Government's Secret-level intranet. Anyone on ClassNet can access SIPRNet, but not vice versa. Both ClassNet and SIPRNet users can access USG enterprise services hosted by the IC Enterprise Service group (formerly known as Intelink). ICES hosts Intellipedia, blogs, SharePoint sites, instant messaging services, streaming video, photo sharing, and many other applications at no cost to the Department on the USG's Secret-level intranet. ¶5. What kinds of reporting should be captioned SIPDIS? (U) Any cable that you believe should be broadly shared with other USG agencies should be captioned SIPDIS. This will typically include most political, economic, politico-military, or public- affairs reporting that does not explicitly require a distribution- limiting caption such as NODIS, EXDIS, or LIMDIS. It will generally exclude cables that are only of interest to the addressee offices, such as most non-policy related consular and administrative messages. Policy guidance, demarche requests and responses, ALDACs, travel warnings, EAC notes, terrorism reports, and a host of other action and informational messages should also include the SIPDIS caption. Keep in mind that most reporting cables are routinely forwarded to the interagency community through the legacy messaging systems even when the SIPDIS caption is not present. Adding the SIPDIS caption simply makes it easier for personnel in these agencies, and within the State Department, to access and utilize these messages. ¶6. Can SIPDIS be used on cables marked NOFORN? (U) Yes, absolutely. The NCD system is approved for up to SECRET//NOFORN information and messages marked NOFORN can be SIPDIS captioned. NCD is a U.S. Government-only information system serving more than 40,000 registered and unregistered users around the globe, around the clock. ¶7. What about personal and Privacy Act protected information? U) Cables containing Privacy Act protected information should not be captioned SIPDIS. This includes information such as SSNs; information concerning employees, such as travel messages, performance reports, and medical assessments; country clearances, and arrest reports of American citizens; and other Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of U.S. citizens to include, in some instances DPOB, as well as anything a cable drafter has specifically marked as containing privacy information. Privacy Act protected information should be handled with due diligence because of the increased risk of harm to an individual if it is compromised, and should not be included in SIPDIS-captioned messages unless it is vital to a mission or agency's need to know. Cables are automatically scanned for easily recognizable PII and Privacy Act protected information, so if your cable does not appear in NCD immediately after you publish it, it might be that it contained something that looked like it might be PII (such as the letters "DOB") and is therefore being held in a queue awaiting human review, normally on the next Washington business day. Guidance on PII was sent via 08STATE112582. Additional guidance can be obtained by contacting the Department's Privacy Office at PrivacyTeam@state.gov. ¶8. Can cables sent from unclassified workstations still have the SIPDIS caption? (U) Yes. Any State or AID cable, no matter which system it is sent from, can carry the SIPDIS caption and will be automatically published in NCD. In other words, SIPRNet access is not required to share SIPDIS-captioned cables via the NCD system. ¶9. How long are SIPDIS cables available online? (U) There are no plans to ever remove cables from NCD. Computer technology is advancing fast enough to stay ahead of the anticipated growth of the database. ¶10. Where can I find out more about Net-Centric Diplomacy? (U) Extensive Quick Start and Help materials are available online - see http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/NCD_Help. (U) Questions can be sent to SIPDIS_Help@state.sgov.gov on ClassNet or NCDHelp@state.gov on OpenNet. ¶11. Reference and NCD-related Messages (U) SHARE YOUR PUBLIC AFFAIRS REPORTING VIA NET-CENTRIC DIPLOMACY - 08STATE120090 (U) SHARING WASHINGTON OUTBOUND CABLES - 07STATE160266 (U) SIPDIS adds RSS, Advanced Search, and Concise Displays - 06STATE175460 (U//FOUO) FURTHER GUIDANCE ON THE SIPDIS CABLE CAPTION - 06STATE89712 (U) ALLIED SHARING AND SIPRNET - 06STATE83673 (U) GUIDANCE ON THE USE OF NEW SIPRNET DISTRIBUTION CAPTION (SIPDIS) - 05STATE226504 (U) RULES OF BEHAVIOR FOR PROTECTING PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION - 08STATE112582 (U) EUR LAUNCHES INTELLIPEDIA INITIATIVE - 08STATE16668 (U) INTELLIPEDIA - AN IMPROVED TOOL FOR COMMUNICATING POLICY - 07STATE170388 ¶12. MINIMIZE CONSIDERED. CLINTON