{UAH} HERE IS WHAT UNMASKING MEANS

Here’s what ‘unmasking’ means, the phrase used in the Michael Flynn controversy

By Tamar Lapin

May 13, 2020 | 8:44pm

REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

The names of several Obama-era officials involved in the “unmasking” of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were declassified this week — but the obscure term sent many folks to the dictionary.

Here’s what it means to “unmask” someone, what it can lead to and how it ties in to the Flynn case:

What unmasking is: 

The US intelligence community commonly uses the term “unmasking” in reference to revealing the identity of someone on a monitored communication.

Under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, intelligence agents frequently eavesdrop on foreign nationals on US soil, such as businessmen or ambassadors.

But if a foreign agent is speaking with or about a US citizen, information about that person could be uncovered incidentally.

To protect their right to privacy, intelligence agents will “mask” the information, and refer to the citizen by an alias like “U.S. Person One” when they report or transcribe the correspondence.

How unmasking happens:

In order to learn the information, US officials with proper security clearance to review the report can ask the agency that collected it  — such as the FBI, CIA or National Security Agency — to “unmask” the name.

They must provide a reason, such as their need to fully understand the significance or context behind the intelligence.

This is a common process that happens “literally hundreds of times a year across multiple administrations,” according to former CIA deputy director Michael Morell.

If the request is approved, the names are then only shared with the specific individual who asked. Leaking an “unmasked” name to the media or public is illegal.

It is also highly unusual for the names of the officials who requested the “unmasking” to be released.

Why unmasking in the news now:

In the Flynn case, Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak was overheard talking to a “masked” individual about the possibility of lifting sanctions imposed by the Obama administration.

Obama-era officials asked intelligence agencies to reveal the American’s name and found out it was Flynn, then an adviser to President-elect Trump.

This week, acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell declassified a list of 23 officials who sought to “unmask” or learn Flynn’s identity during the probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The Trump administration and some Republicans have accused the Obama administration of acting inappropriately in requesting the information.

However Grenell’s memo, which was released by Republican senators, notes that the “unmasking” was approved through the NSA’s “standard process.”

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