classified leak
Unauthorized intelligence release
A classified leak is the unauthorized disclosure of secret government or corporate information to the public, typically through journalists or media outlets.
The term frames the disclosure as a breach—information escaping where it shouldn't—though whether a leak serves the public interest or endangers security often depends on one's perspective: The classified leak revealed illegal surveillance programs.
Those who provide leaks may be called whistleblowers or traitors depending on the viewer's politics.
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- confidentialMeant to stay secret
- secretConcealed information
- documentWritten or electronic file
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
intelligence community · spy · espionage · Snowden · NSA · redacted · treason · source · unnamed source · expose · Pentagon · WikiLeaks · informant · breach · surveillance · national security · national interest · disclosure
- espionagespy, spies, double agent, double agents, spying
- leaksseepage, drip, drips, trickle, ooze
- information breachesdata breach, confidentiality breach, privacy breach, security breach, database breach
- political intrigueintrigue, conspiracy, treason, plot, collusion
- political scandalsWatergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater, Teapot Dome, coverup
classified leakdeclassification
Lifting official secrecy designations
press release · public announcement · congressional testimony · white paper
classified leakclassification
Systematic grouping by traits
cover-up · redaction · secrecy · censorship · concealment
classified, leak, classify, classification, classifications, classifiable, unclassified, class, classes