The term
"need to know", when used by
government and other organizations (particularly those related to the
military or
espionage), describes the restriction of data which is considered very sensitive. Under need-to-know restrictions, even if one has all the necessary official approvals (such as a
security clearance) to access certain information, one would not be given access to such information, or
read into a
clandestine operation, unless one has a specific
need to know; that is, access to the information must be necessary for the conduct of one's official duties.