Abuse of confidentiality

Professional promises to clients are granted special inviolability so that those who most need help will feel free to seek it. Without a social policy allowing the protection of such secrets, people might not confide in lawyers or clergy. In this way, many would fail to benefit from legitimate means to help them. The abuse lies in when confidential information is revealed without the knowledge, or against the wish, or the client. This may be quite blatant if the confidant feels no great personal loyalty to the client, or even a public duty to betray the trust in them, or it may happen quite subtly as the client's region of privacy shrinks in the face of unwarranted inquiries, or in careless or "off the record" conversation.