Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI)
Unclassified federal information that still requires safeguarding or dissemination controls under law, regulation, or government-wide policy — managed under a standardized NARA-run program.
Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is information that is not classified but still requires protection or controlled handling under a law, regulation, or government-wide policy. The CUI program, administered by the National Archives, replaced an inconsistent patchwork of agency markings (like “For Official Use Only”) with a single standard and an official CUI Registry of approved categories.
CUI is distinct from classified information: classified material is protected under Executive Order 13526, while CUI never went through classification but still demands controlled handling — common examples include certain privacy, law-enforcement, and critical-infrastructure information. Much CUI contains PII. CUI records must be marked and handled per their registry category, protected with appropriate access controls (NIST SP 800-171 sets requirements for CUI in nonfederal systems), and remain subject to normal retention and disposition.