Tiered system of government secrecy from Confidential to Top Secret and beyond
The U.S. classification system consists of three primary levels — Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret — each representing increasing potential for damage to national security if disclosed. Above these standard levels exist Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) programs and Special Access Programs (SAPs), which impose additional restrictions even beyond Top Secret clearance.
The classification system is governed by Executive Order 13526, which defines the criteria for classifying information and establishes procedures for declassification. In theory, information should only be classified to protect national security. In practice, the system is massively overused. The Information Security Oversight Office reported that the government made approximately 50 million classification decisions in a single year, and former officials from both parties have estimated that 50-90% of classified documents could be released without harming national security.
Overclassification serves institutional interests rather than security needs. Agencies classify information to avoid embarrassment, shield policy decisions from public debate, prevent congressional oversight, and maintain budgetary secrecy. The result is a system where the government's ability to keep secrets far outstrips the public's ability to hold it accountable — the exact dynamic that enables the programs documented on They Knew.
