# OpSec/classified regulations and people in the military telling family **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 24, 2018, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524 "2018-07-24T21:21:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/41 "2018-08-02T18:01:19Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > …IME, I haven’t witnessed any reactions like, “I’m going to ignore the rules because they are stupid.” Well there was that Snowden kid… ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/42 "2018-08-03T03:24:09Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Well there was that Snowden kid… Do not forget the traitor Chelsea Manning. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/43 "2018-08-03T05:01:15Z")
When I was a kid my dad was on nuclear subs in the US Navy. When he went out to sea, we only knew he went out to sea, not where he actually went. That’s just how it is. I’ve been subject to numerous NDAs over the years related to jobs and other projects I’ve been involved with. It can be a real pain. ☹ But it’s necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/44 "2018-08-03T15:57:08Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > In my experience, the reaction among clearanceholders to the news carrying classified information tends to be somewhere between disdain for the leaker/news that covered it, and a “I signed up the follow the rules, okay, gotcha” when told not to talk about leaked classified info. IME, I haven’t witnessed any reactions like, “I’m going to ignore the rules because they are stupid.” **Inigo Montoya**'Well there was that Snowden kid… ’ > [@TSBG](#): > > Do not forget the traitor Chelsea Manning. [And the worst traitor this side of Benedict Arnold.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump%27s_disclosures_of_classified_information) Maybe we should call him Benedict Orangeold? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/45 "2018-08-03T16:04:50Z")
Ha, ha. Snowden and Manning weren’t annoyed by regulations on not being able to talk about things that were already in the newspaper. They sought to put things into the newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/46 "2018-08-03T18:02:39Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Snowden and Manning weren’t annoyed by regulations on not being able to talk about things that were already in the newspaper. They sought to put things into the newspaper. Because they felt those things should be talked about, but otherwise wouldn’t be because of regulations ya? There is the superficial difference of talking about something before vs. after the word is out, but at its heart they spread the word despite the rules. Which in retrospect is a bit off the OP track. Sorry. I’ll go somewhere and shut up now. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/47 "2018-08-03T18:10:52Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > There is the superficial difference of talking about something before vs. after the word is out, but at its heart they spread the word despite the rules. I guess there is a difference between shooting a live person and shooting one who is already dead, but I wouldn’t apply the term “superficial” to that distinction. It’s very, uh, sub…ter… ficial. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/48 "2018-08-03T18:41:54Z")
As you like ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mr\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/49 "2018-08-03T18:44:52Z")
> [@Nawth\_Chucka](#): > > **Inigo Montoya**'Well there was that Snowden kid… ’ > > [And the worst traitor this side of Benedict Arnold.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump%27s_disclosures_of_classified_information) Maybe we should call him Benedict Orangeold? The biggest difference, of course, is that the President can pretty much declassify anything he wants, at any time. So can his peeps, when he delegates that down (ie, agency Secretaries). As for Snowden, he deserves the death penalty. So does Manning, and Reality Winner, who hopefully gave her parents hell for giving her that name. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/50 "2018-08-03T18:47:37Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > When I was a kid my dad was on nuclear subs in the US Navy. When he went out to sea, we only knew he went out to sea, not where he actually went. That’s just how it is. > > I’ve been subject to numerous NDAs over the years related to jobs and other projects I’ve been involved with. It can be a real pain. ☹ But it’s necessary. And of course there are Dads whose kids don’t know that they work with things nuclear at all, or that even your Dad, no disrespect, might have been not accurate with you on which subs he was on on any tour. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/51 "2018-08-03T19:04:12Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And of course there are Dads whose kids don’t know that they work with things nuclear at all, or that even your Dad, no disrespect, might have been not accurate with you on which subs he was on on any tour. It’s possible. I know what sub he was officially assigned to (I also visited it a few times) but who knows. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/52 "2018-08-03T19:56:42Z")
Of course, sometimes people can take secrecy unnecessarily too far. An airmen in a friend’s leadership class showed up on the first day, and when asked where she worked replied with “Sorry, I can’t tell you” until my friend reminded her of the large National Reconnaissance Office badge on her uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/53 "2018-08-03T20:57:23Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Of course, sometimes people can take secrecy unnecessarily too far. An airmen in a friend’s leadership class showed up on the first day, and when asked where she worked replied with “Sorry, I can’t tell you” until my friend reminded her of the large National Reconnaissance Office badge on her uniform. 🙂 I know that some units in the IDF are “special” in that they wear, quite conspicuously (:)), no unit tag. To me that’s just a BMOC thing and seems kind of silly. Paging **Alessan** if I have that right… ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/54 "2018-08-03T23:23:15Z")
It is frowned upon (or even explicitly prohibited) to mention in, say, an internet forum or social media where one works. If I was to say I worked at the NRO\* I would probably attract the interest of one or two obvious countries, and might expect spear phishing attacks or similar some time in the future. I don’t get to say who or what I work on here. But I am free to talk to friends and family about it within the bounds of classification, corporate confidentiality, and ITAR rules. Heck there are videos on YouTube I show my family. Some of this is about not making claims about representing the company’s position on something, but also very much about not being stupid and attracting unwanted attention. \*If I were a US citizen I would love to work for the NOR. But I probably have a completely skewed idea of how interesting it really is. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524/55 "2018-08-04T12:31:15Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I can see nothing in what I’ve written in this topic that shows that my position is that “others with security clearances [need] to deliberately keep themselves in the dark about material that is now available to every member of the world public”. > . > [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > It sounds absurd, but the fact is that Classified information is still Classified even if it has been leaked and becomes public knowledge–even common knowledge. Accessing unauthorized Classified information is unlawful for those with a security clearance. In the military, it is illegal. > Plus, if the article is read online, which it is likely to be, then the person reading it has now caused the transmission of Classified material across an unsecured network. It sounds absurd … common knowledge… accessing …is illegal I think that the only difference between your two positions is that he thinks it’s absurd, and you think it only sounds absurd. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opsec-classified-regulations-and-people-in-the-military-telling-family/818524.md?page=2)