The
shadow government (
cryptocracy,
secret government, or
invisible government) is a family of
conspiracy theories based on the notion that real and actual political power resides not with
publicly elected representatives (for example, the
United States Congress) but with private individuals who are exercising power behind the scenes, beyond the scrutiny of democratic institutions. According to this belief, the official elected government is in reality subservient to the shadow government who are the true executive power.