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- Sources of Intelligence Information:Â Categorized by where information comes from.
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- DOCINT: Official Sources
Government policy statements; legal documents; statistical abstracts; public requests for information.
- DOCINT: Public Sources
Published works of research, reporting, non-fiction, and fiction; arts programs and lectures; popular entertainment; advertising, marketing copy, data sheets, and other commercial documents.
- DOCINT: Primary Research
Studies, analyses, and statistical data collection aimed at understanding demographic, cultural, and economic characteristics.
- HUMINT: In-Place Observation
Diplomats, liaisons, inspectors, investigators, observers, journalists, academics, tourists, and others with first-hand experience in-place.
- HUMINT: Direct Interchange
Direct discussion, questioning, negotiation, information exchange, and relationship-building activities (including interrogation of prisoners).
- SIGINT: Photographic Surveillance
Unconcealed ground-based, seaborne, airborne, and space-borne photographic monitoring equipment to photograph items of interest.
- SIGINT: Passive Electronic Surveillance
Unconcealed ground-based, seaborne, airborne, and space-borne electronic and acoustic intercept equipment to monitor items of interest.
- SIGINT: Active Electronic Surveillance
Unconcealed ground-based, seaborne, airborne, and space-borne electronic and acoustic interrogation and intercept equipment that engage actively with sources and environments to measure their responses and characteristics.
- OPS: Reconnaissance In-Force
In-place observation and/or direct interchange facilitated by invasion, incursion, or other overt and hostile action.
- Covert
- HUMINT: Official Sources
Surreptitious reporting by officials/employees (domestic spies) about non-public government, military, or industrial policies, procedures, and documents available to them.
- HUMINT: Domestic In-Place Observation
Domestic agents in-place, clandestinely but actively reporting public information not normally available to overt agents due to constraints placed on them by the host country.
- HUMINT: Domestic Espionage
Domestic agents in-place, clandestinely but actively seeking and reporting non-public information not normally available to them. Includes undercover plants — classic “spies”.
- SIGINT: Photographic Surveillance
Concealed ground-based, seaborne, airborne, and space-borne photographic monitoring equipment.
- SIGINT: Electronic Surveillance
Concealed ground-based, seaborne, airborne, and space-borne electronic intercept equipment.
- OPS: Source Development
Activities designed to recruit and manage covert official sources and domestic espionage agents.
- OPS: Foreign Espionage
Insertion of foreign agents in-place, clandestinely but actively seeking and reporting non-public information.
- OPS: Surveillance Support
Covert hostile activities, often involving the use of force, designed to place, protect, or extract agents or other sources, steal information or materials, insert or retrieve sensors, or in other ways facilitate the collection of intelligence information.