text: FM 2-22.3
  Appendix I
  Document Exploitation and Handling
  I-1. DOCEX is a vital information source in the development of the all-
  source intelligence picture. Unless planned for and carefully monitored, the
  volume of CEDs in all operations can rapidly overwhelm a unit’s capability to
  extract meaningful information.
  DEFINITIONS
  I-2. A document, as defined by AJP 2.5, is any piece of recorded information,
  regardless of form. Documents include printed material such as books,
  newspapers, pamphlets, OPORDs, and identity cards as well as handwritten
  materials such as letters, diaries, and notes. Documents also include
  electronically recorded media such as computer files, tape recordings, and
  video recordings and the electronic equipment which contains documents or
  other vitally important intelligence. Examples include hard drives, operating
  systems, and personal electronic devices, including phones, PDAs, and GPS
  devices. A CED may be needed by several collection or exploitation activities
  at the same time, requiring copies to be made. Collectors must have ready
  access to copying equipment. Documents often must be evacuated through
  two different channels for proper exploitation, which also makes copying
  necessary. Such documents and equipment require special handling to
  assure that they are returned to their owners.
  I-3. DOCEX is the systematic extraction of information from threat
  documents for the purpose of producing intelligence or answering IRs. A
  threat document has been in the possession of the threat, written by the
  threat, or is directly related to a future threat situation. DOCEX can occur in
  conjunction with HUMINT collection activities or as a separate activity.
  I-4. A CED is any document that was in the possession of an enemy force
  that subsequently comes into the hands of a friendly force, regardless of the
  origin of that document. There are three types of CEDs.
  • Official - documents of government or military origin.
  • Identity - personal items such as identification (ID) cards or books,
  passports, driver licenses.
  • Personal - documents of a private nature such as diaries, letters, and
  photographs.
  I-5. Open-source documents are documents that are available to the general
  public including but not limited to newspapers, books, videotapes, public
  records, and documents available on the Internet or other publicly available
  electronic media.