Thoughts on Secrecy
Secrecy is the greatest threat to freedom throughout the world, by far the greatest threat to democracy and freedom, and has been in history and will continue to be. Without secrecy none of the private and governmental means to control and exploit the uninformed populace would work.
- Abuse of Secrecy correspondence at Cryptome.org
What constitutes the abuse of secrecy? By its nature, secrecy excludes the likelihood of qualitative judgments on its “proper use” from parties which are not participating and, should secrecy be employed, it is doubtless considered an appropriate use by the parties which are participating.
The need to conceal commercial malfeasance and illegal activity is immediate – when insufficient secrecy is maintained, CIA directors, presidents, and CEO’s alike face threats to the wealth and power accumulated under dubious pretenses.
A former high-ranking CIA official pleaded guilty Monday to abusing his influence within the agency to direct lucrative contracts toward an old friend who showered him with tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts.
Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, 53, of Vienna, Va., struck a deal in U.S. District Court, pleading guilty to a single count of wire fraud for “depriving the United States and its citizens of their right to his honest services.”
As part of the plea, prosecutors dropped 27 other counts against him and agreed to seek a prison term no longer than three years and a month.
- Ex-CIA executive pleads guilty to wire fraud
Associated Press
Corruption at the highest levels of a secretive intelligence agency? A three year sentence will make an example of him and his abuse of secrecy…
It is not unusual for defendants in national security cases to claim that they must disclose classified information in their defense, experts said. The practice has a name, “graymail,” and Congress has passed laws instructing courts to protect classified information by crafting unclassified substitutions that can be released at trial.
- Ex-CIA exec facing trial say he’ll expose agents by Matthew Barakat
at DailyPress.com
… or perhaps jail time is too harsh – we wouldn’t want him exposing our secrets…
Consider the value of possessing a metric ton of gold bullion – how much more is that gold worth if no one else knows that you have it?
Factoring in externalities like hiring guards to protect the stash, secrecy manifests itself as a discrete valuating factor.
