AR 6-5 POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE RELEASE OF UNCLASSIFIED AGENCY OFFICIAL INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06235323
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: March 9, 2023
• Document Release Date: January 5, 2021
• Case Number: F-2011-01517
• Publication Date: December 9, 2010

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AR 6-5 (U) POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE
RELEASE OF UNCLASSIFIED AGENCY OFFICIAL
INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC
AR 6-5 (U) POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE RELEASE OF UNCLASSIFIED AGENCY OFFICIAL
INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC
Date: 12/09/2010
Category: 6 - Public Affairs OPR: OPA
Title: AR6-5 (U) POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE RELEASE OF
UNCLASSIFIED AGENCY OFFICIAL INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC
CL BY:, CL REASON: , DECL ON:, DRV FROM:
(U) ADMINISTRATIVE REVISION SUMMARY: 12/09/2010
(lift *14449) This regulation supersedes AR 6-5, dated 09/19/1995.
(U//AIU0) AR 6-5 is revised to update reference to the new Executive Order 13526,
dated 29 December 2009.
(U) References/links have been reviewed and updated as necessary and appropriate,
including replacing (rescinded) HN 10-11-1, HR 10-22, and HR 6-2 and HR 6-4, with
AR 10-11, AR 70-21, AR 6-2 and AR 6-4, respectively.
(U) Bold faced text has been used to indicate revisions.
(U) This regulation was written by the Office of Public Affairs,
(secure). (b)(3)
5. (U) POLICY AND PROCEDURES FOR THE RELEASE OF UNCLASSIFIED
AGENCY OFFICIAL INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC
(U) SYNOPSIS. This regulation provides policy and procedural guidance to Agency
personnel, as well as others using Agency resources or facilities, for the release of
unclassified Agency official information by any communications means. This includes
electronic release, such as facsimile, e-mail, and Internet, publication, (such as books and
articles), and public speeches.
a. (U) AUTHORITY. The National Security Act of 1947, as amended and the Central
Intelligence Agency Act of 1949, as amended.
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b. (U) BACKGROUND AND SCOPE
(1) (U) This regulation sets forth the Agency policy and procedures for handling the release of
unclassified Agency official information to the public by any means, including all electronic
transmissions, such as Internet and unclassified facsimile. It includes unclassified organizational
charts, brochures, booklets, pamphlets, flyers, posters, advertisements, films, slides, videotapes,
or other issuances, irrespective of physical media such as paper, film, magnetic, optical or
electronic, which describe the organizational structure, needs, or activities of the Agency and/or
its components which are intended for recruitment or general public information purposes and
which may be reasonably construed at the time to officially represent the Agency to the public.
(2) (U) The need for this regulation is based on the premise that Agency policy for electronic release
of Agency official unclassified information must be consistent with (a) the policy for release of
any Agency official unclassified documents, articles, speeches, or other writings in any forum or
format, and (b) the goal of effectively applying Agency policy in a practicable, and realistic, and
workable manner. Thus it covers all forms of publication of Agency official unclassified
information.
c. (U) REFERENCES. The policy and procedures set forth in this regulation have been drafted and
approved in relation to the following existing regulations and policy statements:
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(1) AR 6-6, Appearances of Agency Personnel Before Non-government Groups.
(2) AR 70-21, Access to and Release of Official Information.
(3) AR 10-7, Secrecy Agreements.
(4) IPB Policy 98-06, Use of Unclassified, Public Access Networks and Information Systems.
(U) Where the policy and procedure outlined in this regulation conflict with the policies and
procedures in any of the regulations listed above, the policy* and procedures in this regulation
control.
d. (U) POLICY. The policy promulgated by this regulation is intended to ensure that the appropriate
level of management review and approval, commensurate with the information content of the
proposed release, is undertaken prior to the release of Agency information.
f. (U) RESPONSIBILITIES. Individual directorates may require approvals higher than that
specified below:
(1) (U) Operating Officials, or their designees who report directly to an Operating Official, will
approve employees being in contact with persons or groups outside of CIA for the purpose of
releasing unclassified official Agency information.
(2) (U) NO APPROVALS REQUIRED
(a) (U) No Substantive Information About Agency Business. If the information to be released
contains no substantive information about any of the Agency's business areas, no additional
approval (other than an approval to be in contact with the individual or group involved) is
required.
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(b) (U) Soliciting Information and Asking Questions. Proposed questions that are to be asked of the
public, including posting unclassified questions to bulletin boards, that do not fall within any of
the situations described below need no management approval (other than an approval to be in
contact with the individual or group involved). Any Agency employee or other individual using
Agency resources or facilities, in conjunction with his or her official responsibilities, may release
unclassified Agency information, including transmitting that information on Internet, without
obtaining specific management approval except under the situations described below.
(3) (U) APPROVALS REQUIRED. Any Agency employee or other individual using Agency
resources or facilities, must obtain specific management approval to release unclassified Agency
information under the situations described below.
(a) (U) Redistributing Unclassified Documents Attributed to the Agency. The CIA occasionally
prepares unclassified documents for selected customers inside and outside of the organization
that are attributed to the Agency by its logo, letterhead, or other information indicating it as an
official CIA document. Redistribution of these documents to others outside the Agency must be
approved for release by the same level of management prior to being communicated as it
received when originally distributed. This restriction does not apply to official documents the
Agency has already made available broadly to the public through, for example, the CIA Internet
Web Site, DOCEX, and other mechanisms described in b(3)(a) above. An unclassified
publication that has been previously disseminated without further dissemination restrictions, may
be distributed for official purposes by other Agency employees by any communication means
without restriction.
(b) (U) Widely Communicating to the Public at Large. If the proposed communication is to be
widely available publicly, such as giving a speech or presentation to a group outside CIA or a
posting to a public electronic bulletin board, and if the information or document could, because
of the sender's position, expertise, or employment, be reasonably construed at the time to be
setting forth an official Agency policy or position, the specific information or document will be
reviewed and approved at a management level no lower than one level below an Operating
Official prior to being communicated. The Public Affairs Staff encourages Agency officers
and/or their approving officials to consult with the Staff before a speech or presentation is given
or information is widely posted or disseminated.
(c) (U) Potential Impact on the United States or Agency Affairs. If the proposed communication
could be construed at the time of communication to adversely affect the conduct of Agency
affairs, or could affect the U.S. political process, public opinion, policies, or media, the specific
information or document will be reviewed and approved at a management level no lower than an
Operating Official prior to being communicated.
(d) (U) Internet Homepage Distribution. Categories of materials that are to be posted on the CIA
Internet Web Site or that are to be posted by individual Agency offices and linked to the CIA
Internet Homepage will be reviewed and approved by the Agency Release Panel (ARP) prior to
their being posted. Once a category is approved by the ARP, an office may post individual items
within the category without further approval other than that required by the individual office
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responsible. Agency employees may copy and redistribute materials posted on the CIA Internet
Web Site by any communication means without restriction.
h. (U) RECORDS. Records of all communications will conform to the Agency Records Control
Schedules approved by the National Archives and Records Administration.
I. (U) SECURITY. All postings and all e-mail to the Internet through the Agency resources or
facilities are subject to security audit.
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