need-to-knowadj.n.
/ˌniːdtəˈnəʊ/, U.S. /ˈnidtəˈnoʊ/ A. adj.
Designating or relating to a principle or policy of telling people only what is deemed necessary for them to know in order to carry out a task effectively.
ΚΠ
1951 Science 21 Dec. 656/2 Distribution of scientific reports..is based on a ‘need-to-know’ policy because of security restrictions and the high cost of reproduction and distribution.
1966 J. Bingham Double Agent ix. 137 Mr. Ryan had then hastily told him to keep that to himself. Nothing further had been said. Mr. List had been naturally dismayed at this gross breach of the need-to-know principle.
1975 Observer 12 Jan. 1/1 The CIA has instructed the companies to limit all knowledge of the exercise to the spymaster's traditional ‘need-to-know’ criterion.
1996 N.Y. Times Mag. 11 Feb. 34/2 So layered is the program in security that information is shared only on a need-to-know basis within the service itself.
B. n.
The need-to-know criterion or principle.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > investigation, inspection > secret observation, spying > counter-espionage > [noun] > principle of
need-to-know1956
1956 W. A. Heflin U.S. Air Force Dict. 342/2 Need-to-know, n. A criterion used in security procedures that requires a person requesting classified information to establish his need to know such information in terms of his mission.
1970 K. Benton Sole Agent xviii. 193 There is the rule about need-to-know. They won't need to know the details of your contacts with MI5.
2000 R. Bingham Lightning on Sun 245 For months they'd go solely on need-to-know.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1951