# Undercover Employee **Entity class:** Investigative role **Domain:** Undercover operations ## Definition An **undercover employee** is a government employee who conducts authorized activity while maintaining a cover or alias identity. The term is defined in Department of Justice guidelines and is distinct from a confidential source or cooperating private person. ## Relationships - **uses:** [[wiki/Legend (Intelligence)|Legend]], [[wiki/Backstopping|Backstopping]], and sometimes [[wiki/Proprietary (Intelligence)|Proprietary]]. - **institutional example:** [[wiki/Joe Pistone|Joe Pistone]] and the [[wiki/Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]. - **performance requirement:** sustained role embodiment under adversarial observation. - **source:** [[research/The Producer Function in Intelligence Tradecraft and Dramaturgy|The Producer Function in Intelligence Tradecraft and Dramaturgy]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [Department of Justice — Attorney General's Guidelines on FBI Undercover Operations](https://www.justice.gov/archives/ag/undercover-and-sensitive-operations-unit-attorney-generals-guidelines-fbi-undercover-operations)