What is required for information to be classified?

For information to be classified, it must meet the criteria of being national security information. This means that the information is directly related to the national defense or foreign relations of the United States and its disclosure could potentially harm the nation's security interests. This requirement is rooted in laws and regulations that govern the classification process, specifically those that define what constitutes national security information.

While proprietary information (which is tied to specific business interests) and the necessity for individuals to classify certain information can play roles in various contexts, they do not address the fundamental basis for classification under national security laws. Similarly, while keeping information secret is part of the classification process, it is not the defining criteria; rather, it is the nature of the information itself and its implications for national security that determine its classification status.