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.
The problem with that is that for many of those unmaskings, why does the USPERS need to be revealed? Why did their administration try to unmask way more USPERS than any previous?
Sure, there are various reasons to do so, but the purpose of the system is that they’re supposed to be pretty rare, not constant.