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Questions tagged [secret]

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11 votes
1 answer
2k views

What does the "(U)" prefixed to each paragraph denote in reports by the US Senate Select Committees?

To illustrate, here's a screenshot from page 52 of the "Postwar findings about Iraq’s WMD programs and links to terrorism and how they compare with prewar assessment", with the text ...
Pound Hash's user avatar
23 votes
9 answers
7k views

Is religious confession legally privileged?

I'm referring to Catholic confession to a priest. I'm sure, like attorney-client privilege, that if you disclose a future crime you are planning to commit then they can and will tell the police. I'm ...
Ethan's user avatar
  • 1,966
4 votes
2 answers
238 views

Security clearance of police officers

My question is inspired by this one, but it’s not the same. It is my understanding that the federal law-enforcement officers who seized the boxes of documents held by “45” expected to find some papers ...
Pierre Paquette's user avatar
18 votes
4 answers
4k views

What is the legal basis for judges being able to see classified material?

Marcy Wheeler, in her emptywheel Twitter account, recently tweeted: I addressed this question in this post. No, Cannon does not need a clearance. Her access comes via dint of her responsibilities, ...
Simd's user avatar
  • 712
2 votes
2 answers
194 views

What law requires me to safeguard classified information?

Let's say I have a briefcase full of Top Secret papers, and I carelessly leave it on the table at Burger King and it falls into the wrong hands. 18 U.S. Code § 798 apparently only applies if I "...
Michael Hall's user avatar
  • 4,628
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

What is the legal case for someone getting arrested publicizing information about nuclear weapons deduced from public knowledge

I have a vague memory of a court case involving a man being prosecuted for publicizing information about nuclear weapons. He obtained that information by logic deduction and probably calculations from ...
Siyuan Ren's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
69 views

Does secret or semi-secret prior art invalidate granted patents when presented?

An example would be inventions from the former Soviet Union that were officially secret, then some became semi-secret as they leaked into the public realm but so obscure that only very narrow circles ...
M. Y. Zuo's user avatar
  • 342
-1 votes
1 answer
72 views

Can state secrets be revealed in a criminal lawsuit?

Imagine if there is criminal lawsuit against a CIA agent before a U.S. court. To defend himself, he needs to reveal secrets. For example, he would need to reveal other CIA agents whose lives would be ...
Gray Sheep's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
105 views

Can you be added to a watch list for asking?

So the federal government (and possibly state and local governments) of the United States of America keep watch lists, for criminals, terrorists, suspects, and sometimes non-criminals. I understand ...
Eliter's user avatar
  • 151
0 votes
4 answers
1k views

Are secret societies legal?

What is the legal status of secret societies? Some assumptions on these societies to restrict the question: 1) They are not involved in unlawful activities in the countries in which members operate....
Rexcirus's user avatar
  • 103
2 votes
1 answer
112 views

What practical confidentiality protections can BSA offer to software piracy whistleblowers?

This question refers to a form for reporting software piracy. That page has an FAQ question: If I report software piracy to the BSA, will my name be kept confidential? Your name will never be ...
WBT's user avatar
  • 4,878
5 votes
2 answers
362 views

If an inventor were to create a top secret invention, does this person have a legal obligation to keep it secret?

In a scenario in which an inventor was able to invent something that the government would likely classify as 'Top Secret' or even 'Born Secret', and the inventor knows that it will be classified as ...
user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
168 views

Why intellectual property and not just trade secrets?

Why are intellectual property rights necessary when nothing prevents a company from having trade secrets?
Geremia's user avatar
  • 989
3 votes
1 answer
499 views

Can code logic be copyrighted?

Scenario: I work at company A and write some code for them which is something trivial but used in a product that is proprietary and hence the code is company property. Then I leave the company A and ...
Allahjane's user avatar
  • 173
0 votes
1 answer
80 views

Confidentiality in employer/employee relations - defaults in US law?

I may soon be employed by a US company (I've never worked for one before). My question regards confidentiality of information in the employer-employee relations, by default (= by law/legal precedent), ...
einpoklum's user avatar
  • 627

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