classified leaks
Unauthorized disclosure revealed
Classified leaks are unauthorized disclosures of government secrets to the press or public.
The term combines the secrecy designation with the metaphor of information escaping containment.
Leakers may act from conscience, ego, or profit; recipients face legal jeopardy for publishing.
The classified leaks exposed warrantless surveillance programs.
The phrase often appears in debates balancing national security against public accountability.
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
- SnowdenNSA contractor turned fugitive
- NSAFederal cryptologic intelligence agency
- top secretHighest classification level
- documentsFormal written records
secrets · intelligence · intelligence community · WikiLeaks · breach · disclosure · espionage · redacted · confidential · need to know · sources · government · Pentagon · surveillance · exposure · insider · treason · journalism
- espionagespy, spies, double agent, double agents, spying
- military offensesdesertion, insubordination, mutiny, AWOL, absence without leave
- military scandalsAbu Ghraib, Iran-Contra, Pentagon Papers, torture, cover-ups
- political intrigueintrigue, conspiracy, treason, plot, collusion
- political scandalsWatergate, Iran-Contra, Whitewater, Teapot Dome, coverup
- free speechfree expression, freedom of speech, protected speech, speech rights, speech protection
classified leaksclassification
Systematic grouping by traits
secrecy · concealment · cover-ups · redaction · compartmentalization
classified, leaks, classify, classification, classifications, classifiable, unclassified, misclassified, reclassified