need-to-know principle

The principle that classified information is made available only to a person who offers a guarantee of secrecy, and only to the extent needed for their work.

In Poland it follows from Article 4(1) of the Act on the Protection of Classified Information: classified information may be made available only to a person who offers a guarantee of secrecy, and only to the extent necessary for that person to perform their work.¹

The British doctrine JDP 2-00 notes that the need-to-know principle may still apply, but that cooperation rests on a culture of a duty to share.²

The CIA's glossary calls this compartmentation: restricting access to information to those who need to know it.³