i202 Fall 2010 School of Information, UC Berkeley

We have been talking a lot about classification.  Turns out there is a classification system for classified information in the context of gov't data. 

Is this just cute wordplay or is this interesting?  I think the later.  The decision making process that goes into classifying such information definitely piques my interest.  Will research on my own.

Classification levels

Although the classification systems vary from country to country, most have levels corresponding to the following British definitions (from the highest level to lowest):

Top Secret (TS)

The highest level of classification of material on a national level. Such material would cause "exceptionally grave damage" to national security if made publicly available.

Secret

Such material would cause "grave damage" to national security if it were publicly available.

Confidential

Such material would cause "damage" or be "prejudicial" to national security if publicly available.

Restricted

Such material would cause "undesirable effects" if publicly available. Some countries do not have such a classification.

Unclassified

Technically not a classification level, but is used for government documents that do not have a classification listed above. Such documents can sometimes be viewed by those without security clearance.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information#Classification_level...