Want to hear a secret?
Those five words can get most people’s ears to perk up, especially in our modern world where we’re encouraged to constantly “share” – whether it be on social media, comment after a news article, or leave feedback on an Amazon purchase. It isn’t just children who are encouraged to share their snacks at lunchtime, we’re all essentially told to share our opinions on everything.
This has certainly resulted in too much “over-sharing,” where people can get in trouble by saying too much about a colleague, or by providing photos the world really didn’t need to see. The bigger problem is that many people are sharing classified secrets.
Knowing Something Others Don’t
The fact that a few people get to know what is the proverbial “secret sauce” is akin to a superpower. For some that can make them feel special, simply because it allows them to be the Oracle of this surreptitious knowledge.
“There is a psychological power in having a secret, in knowing something that others don’t know,” explained Jorhena Thomas, professorial lecturer in the School of International Service and the School of Public Affairs at the American University.
Thomas shared this insight on the matter with ClearanceJobs, “I once had a colleague who hated his job. He felt disrespected, unappreciated, and under-tasked. However, he would not consider quitting because the one thing he loved above all else was having access to national security information that others did not have. It made him feel special and privileged. I don’t think he would share classified information, but I provide this anecdote to give some context to the allure to having access to important secrets.”
Thomas added that people can share for a number of motivations that range from such reasons as money to revenge to romance. While this can include sharing for the sense of moral/ethical obligation, which can include whistleblowers, others can also do it simply for the thrill.
More Than A Tale of MICE and Men
The motivations for sharing classified secrets often are explained with the acronym MICE: “Money, Ideology, Compromise, Ego.” Those four factors can aid in recruitment for espionage, but there is actually more to it.
“MICE can be a useful way of explaining why some people share information, and ego can be finessed, but there is also the issue of love, which goes beyond compromise or ideology,” said Dr. Andrew Hammond, historian and curator at the International Spy Museum.
“The truth is that people can give away secrets for many different reasons,” added Professor Aki Peritz, adjunct instructor at the School of International Service at the American University.
“This can include winning an argument, or to burnish one’s ego,” Peritz told ClearanceJobs. “People like to see their name in the news, and that is often why politicians and policymakers can share information that they shouldn’t.”
The Super Ego
In many cases, ego is increasingly what is driving people to share. This explains why some video gamers keep “over-sharing” confidential information about military vehicles on popular gaming forums. Three times in the past year, secrets involving modern tanks have been shared on an online forum for the free-to-play vehicle combat simulator War Thunder.
“There are many instances where people share classified information online to win an argument,” said Peritz. “It is typically men who provide this sort of information to win an argument. They want to have the last word.”
For others who share, it was as much about ideology as ego.
“People share all the time, and many times they may think they are doing the right thing,” Peritz continued. “This includes Daniel Ellsberg releasing the ‘Pentagon Papers’ via an unauthorized disclosure, and he was lauded at the time. Likewise, we would have never found out about the abuses of Abu Ghraib prison had it not been for another unauthorized disclosure.”
Yet, as Peritz also noted there are mechanisms in place to share this information that doesn’t involve an unauthorized disclosure.
“I tend to err on the side of protecting classified information, but what you may believe to be the noble selfless act may trump those barriers,” he told ClearanceJobs.
Is It Human Nature?
For humans, we often seek knowledge, especially if it is something that perhaps we shouldn’t know, especially if it is in a file marked Top Secret. Most would be curious about what might be within that file.
“I don’t know if it is as simple as categorizing it as ‘human nature,'” said Thomas. “People are very different and take vastly different approaches to managing their curiosity. Some people are able to focus on their work and not feel the need to pry into information for which they don’t have a need to know. Others have an insatiable desire to soak up information, whether or not it has to do with their job. Most fall somewhere in the middle.”
This also explains why some people may not be so suited to working with classified secrets.
“It is important to remember that people and their circumstances change over time as well,” Thomas told ClearanceJobs. “Look at Robert Hanssen, the former FBI agent who was convicted of sharing classified information with Russia. He probably started his career as a stand-up guy with good intentions of serving the country. However, as time passed, he underwent some changes that led to his selling classified information to one of the United States’ most significant adversaries at the time.”
Even with polygraphs, insider threat programs, and hiring interview questions that are set up to weed out potentially untrustworthy employees, it can be hard to keep out the “bad actors” who may be more inclined to over-share.
“In very general terms, I would say people who are heavy drinkers/substance abusers, people who tend to share a lot on social media, and people who are experiencing significant personal/interpersonal challenges may be more likely to willingly or inadvertently share secret information,” Thomas continued. “However, these are just broad generalizations, and are just a few of many factors.”
Our Society Is Geared To Share
As noted, perhaps the biggest issue is that our modern world is now entirely about sharing in a way like never before. While gossip has always existed – and at times may have been described as “intrigue” – our modern tools, from the ability to test, post, and tweet make sharing easier than ever.
“Sharing is hardwired into humans,” suggested Hammond.
He told ClearanceJobs that technology certainly has complicated the issue, but our “looser” society also plays a role.
“People used to be more buttoned up in general, but now they want to be validated and understood,” Hammond continued.
Yet, even in this era of too much sharing, there are still those that do feel like the keeper of the secret knowledge and are utterly unwilling to share – even when the information isn’t classified. This includes those who regularly conduct research for publication.
“You do see this a lot in academia, where no one wants to snap off their hard-won research for the masses,” explained Hammond.
Another component of those who are least likely to share includes those who fear that it could lead to their work being questioned. Whereas some may share to be validated, others won’t provide anything more than the requisite information out of fear of being questioned.
“These individuals worry they’re not as good as their colleagues,” said Hammond. “And they certainly don’t want to share out of fear they could be exposed for it.”
But in order to fight against the enemies within, we have to understand why people willingly and often knowingly, put national security at risk.
