Personal Privacy

Privileged communication, confidentiality, and personal privacy are all concerned with the rights of the individual. You must be sensitive to a person's rights under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 562a. In Personal Privacy and Rights of Individuals Regarding Records Pertaining to Themselves, SECNAVINST 5211.5C, the Department of the Navy outlines policy, conditions, and procedures concerning an individual's _{right to privacy.} This instruction provides official guidelines concerning the collection of personal information. It also covers official policy concerning safeguarding, maintaining, using, accessing, amending, and issuing personal information.

General Rules

Concerning privileged communication, confidentiality, and personal privacy, there are general rules every RP and chaplain must follow. First, personal privacy-what happens in the office of the chaplain must stay within the office of the chaplain. Second, confidentiality-what you overhear or know does not extend even to your family and friends. Third, privileged communication-never goes beyond you. Nothing will give you more serious problems than to break any of these rules. Start early in your career as an RP to learn these principles so they will follow you throughout your naval career.

INFORMATION SECURITY PROGRAM

National defense policies and procedures for safeguarding classified information are set forth in the

Department of the Navy Information and Personnel Security Program Regulation Manual, OPNAVINST 5510.1H.

Duties and Responsibilities

OPNAVINST 5510.1H delineates the specific responsibilities of all those persons granted access to and responsible for classified material, as described in the following examples: 

. Secretary of the Navy-responsible for the establishment and maintenance of an Information Security Program to ensure effective compliance with the provisions of U.S. Navy Regulations and general orders, Executive orders, public laws, National Security Council, Department of Defense, and other legally established directives regarding the protection of classified information. . Chief of Naval Operations-responsible to the

Secretary of the Navy for policies relating to the security of classified information in the Department of the Navy. . Director of Naval Intelligence-designated as the officer primarily responsible to the Chief of Naval Operations for the effective compliance with the implementation of the Information Security Program within the Department of the Navy.

l Commanding officers-responsible for compliance with the implementation of the regulations outlined in the Information Security Program Regulation, DOD 5200.1R, and Department of the Navy Information and Personnel Security Program

Regulation Manual, OPNAVINST 5510.1H, within their commands. . Personnel granted access-every individual in the Department of the Navy who acquires access to classified information is responsible for protecting that information according to the regulations outlined in DOD 5200.1R and OPNAVINST 5510.1H.

To perform certain tasks, you and your chaplain may occasionally need access to classified information. For this reason, the office of the chaplain should keep a copy of SECNAVINST 5211.5C, SECNAVINST 5720.42E, and 0PNAVINST 5510.1H for use in the RMF. These unclassified security manuals provide a ready reference to help you and your chaplain clarify questions concerning matters involving classified information. The Navy's Information Security Program provides for the safeguarding of information that, if allowed to fall into the hands of a foreign government, could be detrimental to the security of the United States.

Common Terms

Classified material is any substance or format that contains classified information. Classified material contains information that has been classified and marked Top Secret, Secret, or Confidential. You should be familiar with the following terms pertaining to classified material.

ACCESS.- The ability and opportunity to obtain knowledge and possession of classified information. A person must have the need to know for access to classified information.

ALIEN.- Any person who is not a citizen or national of the United States.

CLASSIFICATION.- Official information determined to be in the interest of national security and labeled protected against unauthorized disclosure.

CLASSIFIED MATERIAL.- Any matter, document, product, or substance inscribed with classified information.

CLEARANCE.- An administrative decision by qualified authority that a person is suitable for access to classified information of a specific classification category.

COMPROMISE.- A security breach resulting from affirmed or supposed exposure of classified information or material to an unauthorized person.

CONFIDENTIAL.- The title that applies to information or material in which the unauthorized disclosure will cause identifiable damage to the national security.

COUNTERINTELLIGENCE.- That aspect of intelligence action devoted to destroying the effectiveness of hostile foreign intelligence activities and to the care of the information against spying, persons against subversion, and locations or material against sabotage.

CUSTODIAL RESPONSIBILITY.- The liability for classified material that rests with the command to whom the material is charged.

CUSTODIAN.- A person having possession of or having been charged with the duty of protecting and recording for classified information.

DECLASSIFICATION.- The conclusion that classified information no longer requires, in the interest of national security, any degree of protection against unauthorized disclosure, coupled with a removal or cancellation of the classification designation.

DOCUMENT.- Any recorded information regardless of its physical form or characteristics. This includes written or printed material; processed data on cards and tapes, maps, charts, paintings, drawings, engravings, sketches, working notes and papers; reproductions by any means or process; and sound, voice, or electronic recordings in any form.

DOWNGRADE.- To conclude that classified information requires, in the interest of national security, a lower degree of protection against unauthorized disclosure than currently provided, coupled with a changing of the classification designation to reflect the lower degree.

FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE.- The product that results from the gathering, classifying, estimating, combining, and translating of ready information that concerns one or more points of foreign nations or of areas of foreign operations and that is at once important to military planning and operations.

FOREIGN NATIONAL.- An y person considered not to be a United States citizen, immigrant alien, or United States national is a foreign national. We consider American citizens representing foreign governments, foreign private interests, or other foreign nationals to be foreign nationals when acting in that capacity.

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.- Although not a security classification, we designate and safeguard material, information, and records as For Official Use Only (FOUO) to concur with the Department of the Navy Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Program, SECNAVINST 5720.42E. You should exercise care to assure the CRP does not become accessible to unapproved persons. Therefore, you must give FOUO material a higher degree of protection than other unclassified material.

IMMIGRANT ALIEN.- Any person allowed into the United States for permanent residence under an immigration visa.

MARKING.- The physical act of stamping on classified material the assigned classification, changes in classification, downgrading and declassification instructions, and any confines on the use of the classified information.

NATIONAL SECURITY.- The national defense and foreign relations of the United States.

NEED TO KNOW.- The necessity for access to, knowledge of, or possession of classified information to carry out proper military or other government duties.

OFFICIAL INFORMATION.- Information that is owned by, created for or by, or is subject to the control of the United Stales Government.

SECRET.- The title that applies only to information or material expected to cause serious damage to the national security.

SECURITY.- A sustained condition of classified information that prevents illegal persons from obtaining information of direct or indirect military value. This case results from the crest ion and protection of measures that enable a state of inviolability from militant acts of power.

SECURITY VIOLATION.- Any failure to comply with the rules related to the security of classified material.

TOP SECRET.- the title that applies only to information expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.

TRANSMISSION.- Effort involving the actual transfer of custody and duty for a document or other classified material from one command to another or to another empowered addressee.