How Overclassification Makes Secrets Less Likely To Remain Secret
from the doing-it-wrong dept
There's a really good point in a recent Washington Post article talking about how nearly 4 million people have top secret clearance in the US these days. The problem isn't necessarily that so many people are given that clearance, but that so many people need to be given that clearance because the US government reflexively overclassifies things, meaning that basic banal office work sometimes can't get done unless you hire "low level" people with top secret clearance:One reason for this trend is that the U.S. government has become so reflexive about classifying information, much of which is not nearly as sensitive as an NSA spying program, that clearance are required even for totally banal work.As many people have pointed out, both Ed Snowden and Bradley Manning were relatively "low level" employees, but had access to all sorts of classified materials. While some spin around and attack them, given just how many people have top secret clearance and access to these materials, it's quite likely that this information has already spread widely -- including to foreign governments. I'd much rather these things be discussed in public and via the press, than finding out later that they were just passed along to foreign governments. If the content of these classified files is really so secret and sensitive to national security, then the government needs a better way of handling that information.
One effect of this classification of nearly everything, and subsequent granting of clearances to nearly everyone, is that all it takes is one or two loose cannons among those 4 million clearance-holders to spill out government secrets.
As it stands, the overclassification of files leads to more people needing top secret clearance, and that means about 4 million with such clearance, including all sorts of low level employees, doing basic office work, including "packing and shipping." And, rather than keeping that material secret, by exposing it to so many more people, this overclassification is almost guaranteeing that the content is less secret.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: access, overclassification, secrecy, top secret
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
As usual, Misunderstander Mike misunderstands purpose.
In the short term, it gives witlings the notion that they're important, "insiders", and so they go along. In fact, those are the most compartmentalized people, who don't see the big picture of the surveillance state taking over. -- Or even if do, are prohibited from spreading the alarm.
And so what Mike misses is that secrecy has NOTHING to do with "security", everything to do with the expanding STATE.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: As usual, Misunderstander Mike misunderstands purpose.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: As usual, Misunderstander Mike misunderstands purpose.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: As usual, Misunderstander Mike misunderstands purpose.
I think there is something wrong here and he may have recently suffered some kind of brain injury. If anyone knows him personally, you might want to get him to a doctor and get him checked out. Particularly getting him checked for possible stroke, it is very insidious and not necessarily noticed by the victim.
I have had some dealings with people who have suffered brain trauma and it really seems like this may have happened to him. It can be quite distressing to the person involved.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re:
1. Confidential - boring.
2. Secret - slightly less boring and easily attained.
3. Top Secret - more involved to attain, only gives access to Top Secret material on a need to know basis.
So Top Secret is the highest level of classification. Of course, there may be a higher, undocumented classification, but you'd have to have a Top to know about it.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: Re:
Or at least, that's how it was when I was in the Navy.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If everyone is special, then no one is.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You make the assumption the government isn't working with foreign governments for a common cause (to further empower and enrich government and industry at public expense). These secretes aren't designed to be kept from governments and corporate entities they are designed to be kept from the public because the public knowing about them would result in public disapproval.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
4 million people is 1.33333% of the US population
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Classification is outdated
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If you think that's bad
ITAR, America's joke on the world.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
If you think that's bad
ITAR, America's joke on the world.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Overclassification causes little penalty for the worker. It's a little harder to work with but your setup to handle it.
Under classification causes a huge shit storm that can days to sort out.
So naturally, shit storms are avoided
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
Can't you patent the process of fucking a pecan pie?
Or does the transition to cream pie negate that?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Relatively is a big word.
In order to do their job efficiently, they need access to things and be able to respond to say, Gen Keith Alexander who's precious PRISM documents are not where he left them last.
Who they gonna call?
Ghost Busters? b.. please!
You don't score a 67k avg a year job for no reason ( http://www.indeed.com/salary/q-Network-Administrator-l-United-States.html ). It's an important job that seems to be missunderstood.
Admittedly, this position is prone to a certain code (ethics) which needs to be there or simply let the industry spy your own turf.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]