Obvious kept secret in classified US data - The Boston Globe

Hopefully involuntary transparency will lead to more effective information classification

Such nonsecrets have a cost. The more information the government classifies, the more money it takes to keep it all concealed. The government spent at least $9 billion keeping classified information under wraps last year, and that doesn’t include the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and others that keep their spending on classified information classified.

Most Americans can do little but take it on faith that those secrets are actually worth keeping. And advocates for open government say that when too much is classified, it makes it harder for the government to cry foul when legitimate secrets are leaked.

Obvious kept secret in classified US data - The Boston Globe