Official Secrets Act
An Official Secrets Act (OSA) is a law that protects government secrets and official information to help keep a country safe. It usually applies to people who handle sensitive government material, and disclosing secrets illegally can be a crime.
OSAs exist in more than 40 countries, often in former British colonies, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada (now updated in part), New Zealand, and others. Some places have updated or replaced older acts with newer laws.
The idea of secrecy goes back long before the digital era. In practice, people who work with official secrets may be asked to sign a statement promising to follow the rules; the declaration is not a contract, but it reminds them of their legal duties.
Critics say the laws can be used to silence dissent and are out of date for modern technology. There are calls for reform to make the language clearer and to add a public interest defence so whistleblowers exposing wrongdoing can be protected.
In the UK, the National Security Act 2023 updates the framework, covers cyber threats, creates an independent commissioner, and introduces a public interest defence. Other countries have their own reforms.
The United States does not have a broad OSA. The Espionage Act of 1917 covers spying and handling secret information, with some parts limited by the courts. The main provision against sharing secrets is 18 U.S.C. 798.
In short, OSAs aim to protect state secrets, but their scope and rules vary and continue to evolve with security and transparency needs.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:08 (CET).