Born secret

"Born secret" and "born classified" are both terms which refer to a policy under the system of law in the United States of information being classified from the moment of its inception, usually regardless of where it was created, and usually in reference to specific laws in the United States that are related to information that describes the operation of nuclear weapons.[1] The concept is not limited to nuclear weapons, and other ideas and technologies may be considered as born secret under law.[2] There are no other areas of United States law where it is illegal to discuss publicly-available information.[3] In 2006, the United States Department of Energy themselves noted that the born secret/classified doctrine was controversial.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wellerstein Lawfare 2022-08-18 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Phillips Michaelis Morrow 1978 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gillman Stanford May 2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Prospero DOE CommuniQue Feb 2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).