[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2013)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 49653-49654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19960]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 158 / Thursday, August 15, 2013 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 49653]]

                Memorandum of August 12, 2013

                
Reviewing Our Global Signals Intelligence 
                Collection and Communications Technologies

                Memorandum for the Director of National Intelligence

                The United States, like all nations, gathers 
                intelligence in order to protect its national interests 
                and to defend itself, its citizens, and its partners 
                and allies from threats to our security. The United 
                States cooperates closely with many countries on 
                intelligence matters and these intelligence 
                relationships have helped to ensure our common 
                security.

                Recent years have brought unprecedented and rapid 
                advancements in communications technologies, 
                particularly with respect to global telecommunications. 
                These technological advances have brought with them 
                both great opportunities and significant risks for our 
                Intelligence Community: opportunity in the form of 
                enhanced technical capabilities that can more precisely 
                and readily identify threats to our security, and risks 
                in the form of insider and cyber threats.

                I believe it is important to take stock of how these 
                technological advances alter the environment in which 
                we conduct our intelligence mission. To this end, by 
                the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, I am directing you to establish a Review Group 
                on Intelligence and Communications Technologies (Review 
                Group).

                The Review Group will assess whether, in light of 
                advancements in communications technologies, the United 
                States employs its technical collection capabilities in 
                a manner that optimally protects our national security 
                and advances our foreign policy while appropriately 
                accounting for other policy considerations, such as the 
                risk of unauthorized disclosure and our need to 
                maintain the public trust. Within 60 days of its 
                establishment, the Review Group will brief their 
                interim findings to me through the Director of National 
                Intelligence (DNI), and the Review Group will provide a 
                final report and recommendations to me through the DNI 
                no later than December 15, 2013.

[[Page 49654]]

                You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this 
                memorandum in the Federal Register.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    Washington, August 12, 2013.

[FR Doc. 2013-19960
Filed 8-14-13; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3910-A7