Designated information is information not concerning the national interest, but which still must be protected, as its release because if it was compromised, it could cause injury to a specific government department, corporate interests or individuals. Examples of designated information are personal information, self-identification data and medical records. Treasury Board recommends the use of three levels of designation:

1. Protected A - Low Sensitivity: applies to information that, if compromised, could reasonably be expected to cause injury or embarrassment outside the national interest; e.g., disclosure of an exact salary figure.
   
   
2. Protected B - Particularly Sensitive: applies to information that, if compromised, could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury outside the national interest and often include information, which if released, would reasonably compromise individual privacy e.g., loss of reputation or competitive advantage.
   
   
3. Protected C - Extremely Sensitive: applies to the very limited amount of information that, if compromised, could reasonably be expected to cause extremely grave injury outside the national interest and could result in loss of life or serious financial harm; e.g., bankruptcy or loss of life (e.g., the disclosure of the identity of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police informant).
   
   
4. Confidential, Secret or Top Secret:  would, as a general rule, cause injury to the social, political, or economic order of Canada if compromised. Confidential documents include those whose premature disclosure would be detrimental to government plans or intentions, such as negotiations. Private views of officials on public events are also considered Confidential. Documents classified as Secret would endanger national security, cause serious injury to the interests or prestige of the nation, or give substantial advantage to a foreign power. Such documents include records of Cabinet discussions, proposed legislation, documents or material pertaining to important government plans, and documents pertaining to national security. Top Secret documents, if compromised, would cause grave damage to the national interest. Top Secret documents could be expected to deal with issues of national defence and international treaties or agreements.

1. PROTECTED is a Canadian term meaning information and assets related to other than the national interest that may qualify for an exemption or exclusion under the Access to Information Act or Privacy Act. There are three levels of PROTECTED information: PROTECTED A; PROTECTED B; and, PROTECTED C.
   
   These levels are defined as follows:
   
   A subset of PROTECTED information and assets that could reasonably be presumed to cause injury if compromised may be marked PROTECTED A
   
   A subset of PROTECTED information and assets that could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury if compromised may be marked PROTECTED B.
   
   A subset of PROTECTED information and assets that could reasonably be presumed to cause extremely serious injury, such as loss of life, if compromised may be marked PROTECTED C."