Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation. There are typically several levels (classes) of sensitivity, with differing clearance requirements. This sort of hierarchical system of secrecy is used by virtually every national government. The act of assigning the level of sensitivity to data is called data classification. Although the root sense of the word "classified" is simply synonymous with "categorized", it has developed a sense synonymous with "censored" in the context of classified information.

A distinction could be made between formal security classification and privacy markings such as "Commercial in confidence".

Some corporations and non-government organizations also assign sensitive information to multiple levels of protection, either from a desire to protect trade secrets, or because of laws and regulations governing various matters such as personal privacy, sealed legal proceedings and the timing of financial information releases.

Similarly, individuals also keep some of their information private or share it only with a select group of people (e.g. one's friends on Facebook).

Adjective

Classified information

Wikipedia

top secret (not comparable)

1. (military) Information classified at the highest level of sensitivity by a government, based on an assessment that it would cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if disclosed.

   NSA's report on the Liberty incident was originally classified top secret.

2. A level of security clearance needed to access such information.
3. (figuratively) Pertaining to any especially sensitive closed-room activities.

   Steve Jobs set up a top secret team to design the Macintosh.

See also

• secret
• confidential
• restricted

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See also:

• Society: Issues: Human Rights and Liberties: Privacy (52)

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• Project on Government Secrecy (Federation of American Scientists)
  fas.org
  Seeks to challenge excessive government secrecy and to promote public oversight of intelligence and national security policies.
• The National Security Agency Declassified: History, Organization and Operations
  gwu.edu
  Declassified documents on the history, organization and operations of America's most secretive spy agency and the controversial ECHELON intelligence sharing program.
• U.S. Government Restrictions on Scientific Publications
  rbs2.com
  Article discusses laws related to government secrets and export controls. [PDF] (July 06, 2004)