Spy guide.

• Author: Shackford, Scott
• Position: Watch list rules - Watch-listing Guidance - Brief article

The federal government's guide explaining the mechanisms by which it places people on watch lists of potential terrorism suspects is not classified information. Nonetheless, both the Bush and Obama administrations have resisted disclosing the information. But in July, a source provided the 166-page document, titled "Watch-listing Guidance," to The Intercept.

The guide, emblazoned with 19 agency logos, explains how the United States government decides who ends up being pulled aside for enhanced screenings at airports and border crossings, possibly ending up on no-fly lists, and how this information is shared with law enforcement agencies across the country.

Journalists Jeremy Scahill and Ryan Devereaux scoured the report, navigating a cavalcade of bureaucratic jargon and legal citations to evaluate how the system works. The results suggest the federal government sets a low standard for placing names on the watch list: "reasonable suspicion" of a connection with...