It shouldn’t be a secret that the United States government keeps plenty of things under wraps yet many people don’t realize the scale to which this happens. Whether it’s sites hidden in the desert or covert operations that only came to light years later, there’s a lot happening that most of us never hear about. Here are twelve secrets the government doesn’t want you to know. They’ve kept quite a few facts in the shadows!
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Government’s Secret Use of Stingray Devices
Using devices called Stingrays, law enforcement agencies may mimic cell towers to intercept cell phone data. These gadgets track your location and even record your calls & texts— agencies often deploy them without warrants. The government has been pretty tight-lipped about just how widespread this practice is. Is your information really private?
Secret Backdoors in Commercial Products
Similarly, the government works with tech companies to put hidden backdoors into software & devices. Such secret access points let agencies bypass security features and encryption to get to data without users knowing. Of course, they’re meant to help with surveillance and national security. Yet they also make products more vulnerable to hackers. There’s not much we can really do to avoid this from happening but at least you know about these issues now.
The No-Fly List’s Lack of Transparency
The government’s no-fly list is meant to keep suspected threats off airplanes—in theory. Unfortunately, people may end up on the list without any notification or explanation & getting off it is a nightmare. Many innocent travelers have been detained due to mistakes or name mix-ups. Since the criteria are confidential, there’s not much you can do if you’re wrongly listed. You just have to suck it up.
Surveillance Programs Monitoring Citizens
For years, government surveillance programs have gathered data on everyday people. Programs like PRISM showed that agencies monitor people’s emails, phone calls & internet activity—without anyone knowing. It’s essentially widespread spying. As a result, it has led to many concerns about privacy and just how much the government is watching us.
Secret Government Bunkers Beneath Our Feet
Scattered across the U.S. are underground bunkers built during the Cold War, including places like the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. They hid massive facilities designed to house Congress in case of a nuclear attack. These bunkers were fully equipped to keep the government running during a catastrophe, complete with meeting rooms & supplies. Most Americans had no clue these installations existed until a journalist exposed the Greenbrier bunker in 1992. This exposé blew the lid off the secrets that are lying, quite literally, under our feet.
Black Budget Programs and Unaccounted Funds
The government spends billions on “black budget” programs that are completely classified. In 2013, reports showed that over $52 billion went into these secret projects & agencies, with little to no oversight. Where does this money go? What is it being used for? Essentially, taxpayers are funding programs without knowing anything about them & really, that just doesn’t seem fair at all.
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident Misrepresentations
In 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident made the U.S. increase its involvement in the Vietnam War with reports claiming that North Vietnamese forces attacked U.S. naval ships on two separate occasions. But later investigations uncovered that the second attack might never have happened. The government knowingly kept important details from the public in order to drum up support for its own actions. Surely that crosses an ethical boundary?
Involvement in Overseas Coups
Over the years, the U.S. government has been involved in overthrowing foreign leaders. In Iran in 1953, the CIA helped remove Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh—in Chile in 1973, they supported a coup against President Salvador Allende. These covert operations tried to make governments more friendly to U.S. interests. Who’s to say they’re not doing the same now?
Continuity of Government Plans
The government has detailed plans to keep itself running during extreme emergencies, like a nuclear war. These are called the Continuity of Government plans & they involve secret protocols and facilities to allow leaders to continue their roles. However, most Americans don’t realize how extensive these preparations are or even that they exist. And it’s all because the US government does so well at keeping all of its secret plans, well, secret!
Drone Surveillance Over U.S. Soil
The US government doesn’t just use drones in overseas military operations—they even use them to conduct surveillance within the United States! Agencies like the Department of Homeland Security have deployed unmanned aircraft to monitor borders. These eyes in the sky are watching from above & you probably don’t even realize that they’re there.
National Security Letters Used Without Oversight
The government can get your personal info from companies without a court order by using National Security Letters (NSLs). The FBI, for example, sends these letters to access data like phone records, emails & financial details. Companies that get an NSL aren’t allowed to tell anyone about it—not even the person whose data is being shared. Unfortunately, there’s little oversight to prevent potential abuse from happening nor is there anything we can do.
Chemical Testing on Unknowing Citizens
In the 1950s and ’60s, the government conducted secret chemical tests on American soil. These involved releasing substances like zinc cadmium sulfide over cities to study how biological agents might spread. Residents had no idea these tests were happening right over their heads. However, it wasn’t until decades later that documents came out.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.