CUI Task Force Report - Federation of American Scientists

Part 4. Conclusion
Through its 90-day study, the CUI Task Force concluded that within the Executive Branch,
information sharing and transparency suffer from inconsistency in SBU policies,
uncertainty in interagency settings as to what policies apply to SBU information, and the
inconsistent application of even similar policies across agencies. The general lack of
effective, standardized training and oversight at many agencies results in a tendency to
over-protect information.
The Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Framework provided a good start toward
addressing these deficiencies, but was intended to do so only with regard to terrorismrelated
information. The Task Force has concluded that a single, standardized framework
for marking, safeguarding, and disseminating all Executive Branch SBU is required to
further the goals of standardization, information sharing, and government transparency.
The Task Force recommendations are intended to overlay, and in some cases modify, the
CUI Framework established by the 2008 Memorandum. Building upon that Framework,
the Task Force has proposed 40 Recommendations, including simplifying the definition of
CUI; expanding the scope of the CUI Framework; clarifying that limits of CUI markings –
such as with regard to releases under FOIA or to Congress; and phasing implementation of
the expanded scope of CUI to ensure no disruption to agencies’ mission performance or
the security of information.
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