Secrecy is the condition of hiding information from others. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
One may have to lie in order to hold a secret, which might lead to psychological repercussions.
The alternative, when asked about something, declining to answer, may suggest the answer and may therefore not always be suitable to keep the secret. Also the other may insist that one answers the question. See also Don't ask, don't tell.
Many people claim that, at least in some situations, it is better for everyone if everyone knows all the facts -- there should be no secrets. Secrecy should not be confused with security. See Full disclosure, Kerckhoffs' law, Security through obscurity.
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Animals, including humans (in some cases), generally endeavor to conceal the location of their den or nest from predators. In practice, finding a human is often not difficult, especially with the aid of telephone directories, private eyes, etc.
Humans attempt to consciously conceal aspects of themselves from others, due to, for example, shame or fear of rejection, loss of acceptance, loss of employment, or other negative repurcussion.
Humans attempt to conceal aspects of their own self which they are not capable of incorporating psychologically into their conscious being.
Families maintain "family secrets", a mutually agreed-upon construct (an official family story) to never discuss disagreeable issues concerning the family, either within the family or with those outside the family. Agreement to maintain the secret is often coerced through the use of such tactics as "shaming" and reference to family honour. On occasion, the information may not be disagreeable as such, but may rather be e.g. a recipe
Covert United States involvement in Chile in the decade between 1963 and 1973 was extensive and continuous.
United States covert efforts to affect the course of Chilean politics reached a peak in 1970: the CIA was directed to undertake an effort to promote a military coup in Chile to prevent the accession to power of Salvador Allende.
Covert action efforts were conducted during this period to influence the political development of various sectors of Chilean society.
Covert action in the new era will largely be of a different nature than the covert action of the Cold War and should not be subject to the same public prejudices held against its use.
Because covert action usually requires both the decisions of elected officials and the consequences of those decisions, to be kept from the people, there seems to be a contradiction between the democratic system and the requirements of covert action.
Although covert action will still be used in the traditional manner in the post-Cold War era, such as attempts to unseat Saddam Hussein after the conclusion of Desert Storm, the prioritization of transnational threats requires an examination of the appropriate role for covert action in the new framework.
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