ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

❘❘❙❚❚❙❘❘ D ❘❘❙❚❚❙❘❘D Notice❚ ADRIENNE WILMOTH LERNERD Notice (defense notice) refers to an alert given by intelligenceservices or the armed forces to the media, alertingthem of sensitive content that could damage nationalsecurity or defense if reported in part or in whole. InBritain, the system is somewhat voluntary and variousmedia corporations are not obliged to report or refrainfrom reporting, potentially sensitive issues.The British D Notice system, the first of its kind, wasestablished in 1912. Later the process was bolstered bythe passage of the Official Secrets Act, which definedsubjects that are not cleared for public broadcast. The actwas intended to prevent information from falling intoenemy hands. The notices then pertained to wire transfers,and have since evolved with the progression oftechnology. Today, D Notices cover media broadcast contentvia radio, films, television, and the Internet.The parameters for information requiring a D Noticeare straightforward. Defense plans, specific trainingregimens, and vital troop readiness statistics are discouragedfrom being broadcast. Reports on the specific operationof intelligence services, defense equipment, ciphersand data security systems are flagged for D Notices, as isthe subject of civil defense, and nuclear weapons equipmentand testing. The specificity and nature of a givenjournalistic piece, as well as the time and circumstanceduring which the report is broadcast, are all considered inthe D Notice process. Perhaps the largest factor in theprocess is what type of media will be airing the piece.Television and film cameras, as well as still photographs,can often reveal more then words alone.D Notices have again reentered the public consciousness,and are often called DA Notices (defense advisorynotices). During the Persian Gulf War, several governmentand military officials from various nations complainedEncyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and Securitythat intense media coverage let Iraq prepare for everyAmerican strike. In late 2002, a new rash of D Notices wereissued for information coming from military operations inthe Middle East. Some journalists hold that D Notices aretoo often issued for subjects that are merely unflatteringto government, rather than a matter of national defense.,and thus are a from of soft censorship. On the whole,media companies and individual journalists are increasinglyopting out of cooperating with D Notices advisories,when possible. However, there is always the possibility ofprofessional disciplinary action, or legal punishment, suchas suspension of broadcasting privileges or a steep fine,for refusal to heed some especially sensitive D Noticewarnings.❚ FURTHER READING:ELECTRONIC:Wilkins, Gus.“The DA-Notice Web site-The Official Site ofthe Defence, Press and Broadcasting Advisory Committee.” (December1, 2002).❚ K. LEE LERNERDARPA (Defense AdvancedResearch Projects Agency)The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)is the central United States Department of Defense agencydedicated to advancing research in areas of science andtechnology that may directly enhance military effectiveness.DARPA’s development of the TCP/IP network protocolarchitecture and packet switching and significantly305