Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is a category of unclassified information within the U.S. Federal government that requires safeguarding or dissemination controls pursuant to and consistent with applicable law, regulations, and government-wide policies but is not classified. The CUI program was created by President Obama’s Executive Order 13556 to create a streamlined method for information sharing and to replace agency-specific labels such as For Official Use Only (FOUO), Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU), and Law Enforcement Sensitive (LES) on new data. The purpose of the CUI program is to standardize the protections and practices across departments and agencies.
The doctrine, policy, and processes for Controlled Unclassified Information came out of a study and policy change proposal which originated within the Information Sharing and Collaboration Office of the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Under Secretariat of the Department of Homeland Security. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the Executive Agent to implement the Order and oversee agency actions to ensure compliance. 32 CFR Part 2002 "Controlled Unclassified Information" was issued by the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) to establish policy for agencies on designating, safeguarding, disseminating, marking, decontrolling, and disposing of CUI, self-inspection and oversight requirements, and other facets of the Program.
