What does the acronym FOCI stand for?

• A. Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence
• B. Foreign Oversight and Compliance Initiative
• C. Federal Organization for Cybersecurity Initiative
• D. Foreign Operations and Commerce Interface

Answer: (A)

Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence. This term is used in industrial security to describe a situation where a company involved with safeguarding or handling classified information has ownership, management control, or other influence that originates from foreign interests. The concern is that such influence could affect security decisions or access to sensitive information, so a FOCI review and any required mitigation measures are used to manage and reduce risk. The other options don’t reflect the standard terminology used in this field.