Secrecy 66505 222539912 2008-06-29T22:02:17Z Graeme Bartlett 38427 tidy up sentence about Buddha {{Redirect|Secret|other uses|Secret (disambiguation)}} {{dablink|"Covert" redirects here; there is also [[Covert, New York]] and [[Covert Township, Michigan]].}} {{Nofootnotes|date=February 2008}} '''Secrecy''' or '''furtiveness''' is the practice of sharing [[information]] among a group of people, which can be as small as one person, while hiding it from all others. That which is kept hidden is known as the '''secret'''. Secrecy is often controversial. Many people claim that, at least in some situations, it is better for everyone if everyone knows all the facts—there should be no secrets. The closely allied, perhaps even synonymous notions of [[confidentiality]] and [[privacy]] are often considered virtues. Although this belief is held by many people, most argue that it is taken out of context. [[William Penn]] wrote, "It is wise not to seek a secret; and honest, not to reveal one."<ref>[http://chatna.com/theme/secrets.htm Secrets quotes. Quotes about Secrets<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> == Natural and sociological secrecy == Secrecy is built into biology. One reason for [[sexual reproduction]] and [[species|speciation]] may be to allow members of a species to share genetic improvements without those improvements becoming available to competitors. [[Animal]]s, including humans (in some cases), conceal the location of their [[den]] or [[nest]] from [[predation|predators]]. [[Human]]s attempt to consciously conceal aspects of themselves from others due to [[shame]], or from [[fear]] of rejection, loss of [[acceptance]], or loss of [[employment]]. On a deeper level, humans attempt to conceal aspects of their own [[Self (psychology)|self]] which they are not capable of incorporating psychologically into their [[Consciousness|conscious]] being. [[Family|Families]] sometimes maintain "family secrets", obliging family members never discuss disagreeable issues concerning the family, either with those outside the family and sometimes even within the family. Many "family secrets" are maintained by using a mutually agreed-upon construct (an official family story) when speaking with outside members. Agreement to maintain the secret is often coerced through "shaming" and reference to family [[honor]]. The information may even be something as trivial as a [[recipe]]. Keeping one's [[strategy]] secret is important in many aspects of [[game theory]]. == Government secrecy == [[Government]]s often attempt to conceal information from other governments and the public. These '''state secrets''' can include [[weapon]] designs, military plans, [[diplomacy|diplomatic]] [[negotiation]] tactics, and secrets obtained illicitly from others ("[[intelligence (information gathering)|intelligence]]"). Most nations have some form of [[Official Secrets Act]] (the [[Espionage Act]] in the [[U.S.]]) and classify material according to the level of protection needed (hence the term "[[classified information]]"). An individual needs a [[security clearance]] for access and other protection methods, such as keeping documents in a [[safe]], are stipulated. Few people dispute the desirability of keeping [[Critical Nuclear Weapon Design Information]] secret, but many believe government secrecy to be excessive and too often employed for political purposes. Many countries have laws that attempt to limit government secrecy, such as the U.S. [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]] and [[sunshine law]]s. Government officials sometimes [[political leak|leak]] information they are supposed to keep secret. (''For a recent (2005) example, see [[Plame affair]].'') Secrecy in elections is a growing issue, particularly secrecy of vote counts on computerized vote counting machines. While voting, citizens are acting in a unique sovereign or "owner" capacity (instead of being a subject of the laws, as is true outside of elections) in selecting their government servants. It is argued that secrecy is impermissible as against the public in the area of elections where the government gets all of its power and taxing authority. In any event, permissible secrecy varies significantly with the context involved. ==Corporate security== Organizations, ranging from multi-national for profit [[corporation]]s to nonprofit [[charities]], keep secrets for [[competitive advantage]], to meet legal requirements, or, in some cases, to conceal nefarious behavior. New products under development, unique manufacturing techniques, or simply lists of customers are types of information protected by [[trade secret]] laws. The [[patent]] system encourages inventors to publish information in exchange for a limited time [[monopoly]] on its use, though patent applications are initially secret. [[Secret society|Secret societies]] use secrecy as a way to attract members by creating a sense of importance. Other laws ''require'' organizations to keep certain information secret, such as [[medical record]]s ([[Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act|HIPAA]] in the U.S.), or [[financial report]]s that are under preparation (to limit [[insider trading]]). [[Europe]] has particularly strict laws about [[database]] privacy. In many countries, [[neoliberal]] reforms of government have included expanding the outsourcing of government tasks and functions to private businesses with the aim of improving efficiency and effectiveness in government administration. However, among the criticisms of these reforms is the claim that the pervasive use of "[[Commercial-in-confidence]]" (or secrecy) clauses in contracts between government and private providers further limits public accountability of governments and prevents proper public scrutiny of the performance and probity of the private companies. Concerns have been raised that 'commercial-in-confidence' is open to abuse because it can be deliberately used to hide corporate or government maladministration and even corruption. A string of publicly scandalous revelations about poor, wasteful or corrupt management of government-funded private contracts left unchecked for lengthy periods, often in prison management<ref>need ref</ref>, has added credence to the views of skeptics about the prudency of the neoliberal reforms themselves. == Technology secrecy == {{See also|Full disclosure|Kerckhoffs' principle|security through obscurity}} Preservation of secrets is one of the goals of [[information security]]. Techniques used include [[physical security]] and [[cryptography]]. The latter depends on the secrecy of [[cryptographic key]]s. Secrecy is central to [[organized crime]]. Many believe that security technology can be more effective if it itself is not kept secret. [[Information hiding]] is a design principle in much [[software engineering]]. It is considered easier to verify software reliability if one can be sure that different parts of the program only have access to certain information. == Hazards of secrecy == Excessive secrecy is often cited as a source of much human conflict. One may have to [[lie]] in order to hold a secret, which might lead to [[psychology|psychological]] repercussions. The alternative, declining to answer when asked something, may suggest the answer and may therefore not always be suitable for keeping a secret. Also, the other may insist that one answers the question. Nearly 2500 years ago, [[Sophocles]] wrote, "Do nothing secretly; for Time sees and hears all things, and discloses all." == Buddha == [[Gautama Siddhartha]], the [[Buddha]], once said "Three things cannot long stay hidden: the sun, the moon and the [[truth]]". == Military secrecy == {{See also|Military intelligence|born secret}} A '''military secret''' is [[secret]] information that is purposely not made available to the general public and hence to any enemy, by the [[military]] in order to gain an advantage or to not reveal a weakness, avoid [[embarrassment]] or to help in [[propaganda]] efforts. Most [[military]] secrets are military in nature, such as the strengths and weaknesses of [[weapon]]s systems, [[military tactics|tactics]], training methods, number and location of specific weapons and plans. Some involve information in broader areas, such as secure communications, [[cryptography]], intelligence operations and cooperation with third-parties. ==See also== * [[Concealment device]] * [[Confidentiality]] * [[Conspiracy theory]] * [[Deception]] * [[Don't ask, don't tell]] * [[Espionage]] * [[Freedom of information legislation]] * [[Secret passage]] * [[Secret sharing]] * [[State Secrets Privilege]] * [[Smuggling]] * [[Surprise]] * [[Media transparency]] * [[Wikileaks]] ==References== <references/> * Sissela Bok, ''Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation'' (New York : Vintage Books, 1989). * [[Bruce Schneier]], ''[[Secrets and Lies (Schneier)]]'' *''On Secrecy'', by Sir Henry Taylor in ''The Oxford Book of Essays'', John J. Gross, Oxford University Press, 1991 ISBN 0-19-214185-6 * Alasdair Roberts, ''Blacked Out: Government Secrecy in the Information Age'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006). * [http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/currentawareness/secrecy.php Secrecy legal news and research], [[JURIST]] ''The Federal Information Manual''. P. Stephen Gidiere III. American Bar Association (2006)[http://books.google.com/books?id=QSvAcUmDHFkC&dq=the+federal+information+manual+gidiere&pg=PA1&ots=sRQtl4nVRU&sig=bxhDE6591uYinx_iIVbMjK4QuI4&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLR%252CGGLR%253A2005-37%252CGGLR%253Aen%26q%3Dthe%2Bfederal%2Binformation%2Bmanual%2Bgidiere&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=1]. *[http://www.issa.org/journal_archive.html Article "How Secret is a Secret?" in the ISSA Journal, April 2006] == External links == {{Wiktionarypar|secret|covert}} * [http://www.islamfrominside.com/Pages/Commentary/Rules%20of%20misdirection.html Rules of political misdirection] * [http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/ Secrecy News] from the Federation of American Scientists * [http://www.helium.com/tm/442915/which-knowall-questions-asked It's Not About the Secret, More About the Secreted] * [http://www.conspiracynexus.com conspiracynexus.com The truth is out there] [[Category:Classified documents]] [[Category:Secrecy]] [[da:Covert]] [[de:Geheimnis]] [[es:Secreto]] [[fr:Secret]] [[id:Kerahasiaan]] [[hu:Titok]] [[nl:Geheim]] [[ja:秘密]] [[no:Hemmelighold]] [[pl:Tajemnica]] [[pt:Secreto]] [[simple:Secret]] [[sv:Hemlighet]] [[vi:Bí mật]] [[zh:保密性]]