Classified Government Material: There are several items in the news regarding classified documents. What does classified mean? How critical is it? Who usually violates proper protocol?

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

There are several items in the news regarding classified documents. What does classified mean? How critical is it? Who usually violates proper protocol? What penalties are typically imposed?

Just a couple of helpers, obviously much more info available, CFR's,etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information_in_the_United_States

http://www.archives.gov/isoo/faqs/identifying-handling-classified-records.html

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Bill Clinton made a lot of cash selling it to China

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

This post was meant to be informational, not political, if you please. :-)

A quick look at the sites I referenced may be of value.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

On the other hand, maybe not. :cry: :cry:

EdM Loc: FN30JS

having handled and written classified documents over the years, "classified" is another way of NOT saying, confidential,CMHA,secret, etc etc... Ed

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

True, and the definitions and level descriptions have changed as well. More goofy research for someone like me who is bored and recuperating. :lol:

EdM Loc: FN30JS

and to answer the rest of your question, you either get fired, lose your clearance or go to jail, unless, of coarse you are politically connected to the party in power... shit!

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

EdM wrote:

and to answer the rest of your question, you either get fired, lose your clearance or go to jail, unless, of coarse you are politically connected to the party in power... shit!

Guess you didn't bother to read, huh? Oh, well.....

EdM Loc: FN30JS

DaveO wrote:

Guess you didn't bother to read, huh? Oh, well.....

aww, caught me.... actually I did not, but at Clintons's level, much as it pains me to say this, she is probably high (was) enuff to decare that it was in the best interest of the country to treat the classified data as unclassified i.e. leak it... sigh.....
I have "misplaced" secret documents and got my butt reamed over the years, but when they were found, no one ever "unreamed" my butt...
but intensionally ignoring the classification, that was another thing... c ould not even take classified documents to another cleared area (building), they had to be shipped....and signed for etc...
I shipped a computer disk between buildings once and to make life easier, included a classified document in the package, about a month or so later I was in the security office getting my butt reamed, ... they unpacked the disk (it was a 10 meg disk fer a pdp8!!!omg!!!!) and I got off the hook. from a black job, (blackbird actually,gbg!!)

Cykdelic Loc: Now outside of Chiraq & Santa Fe, NM

DaveO wrote:

There are several items in the news regarding classified documents. What does classified mean? How critical is it? Who usually violates proper protocol? What penalties are typically imposed?

Just a couple of helpers, obviously much more info available, CFR's,etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information_in_the_United_States

http://www.archives.gov/isoo/faqs/identifying-handling-classified-records.html

For the U.S,
. Gov there are three levels of classified docs----- all three are considered matters of some security and reading or disseminating without clearance or authority are crimes.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

EdM wrote:

aww, caught me.... actually I did not, but at Clintons's level, much as it pains me to say this, she is probably high (was) enuff to decare that it was in the best interest of the country to treat the classified data as unclassified i.e. leak it... sigh.....

Believe me, I'm not making excuses and want to agree. It is just so puzzling to me why info may be disseminated sometimes before it even receives a security classification, some are even ad hoc. Even worse, try to find some clearly defined penalties for ignoring the proper handling of various classifications. Also keep in mind that not all "classified" material is some big critical secret.

Here's the big one, this is not a trait that can be directed at any particular party. It has been going on for years by many people, up to and including presidents and generals. Again, keep in mind that the vast majority of "classified" material is not even newsworthy, let alone critical to national security.

Having rambled on, it's interesting to see how, what, why, how long, who's at fault....

:-)k

EdM Loc: FN30JS

agree...almost a joke, I have worked on several proposals, and later seen "black hardware" that I recognized, but was not classified when at the proposal level... bottom line, she will get off....lot of tempist in a pot of tea....

EdM Loc: FN30JS

"authority d/a ltr/memo dtd 8Mar57"... geez, write that on enuff secret documents and you will remember it over 50 years later.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Cykdelic wrote:

For the U.S,
. Gov there are three levels of classified docs----- all three are considered matters of some security and reading or disseminating without clearance or authority are crimes.

I'm familiar with the classifications and have some semblance of penalties, having been cleared for DOD Top Secret, DOE Q Level, NRC U for certain job responsibilities. My real objective was to try to get people past this perception that "Classified" means that everything classified is critical. Further, not all info that is released was classified until after it's release. Even further, some material is classified "just in case" and there is so much that is common knowledge that it has been treated casually by many at all levels of responsibility for years.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

EdM wrote:

"authority d/a ltr/memo dtd 8Mar57"... geez, write that on enuff secret documents and you will remember it over 50 years later.

:thumbup: