Editing Obfuscation (section)

==Secure communication==
{{Main|Secure communication}}
Obfuscation of oral or written communication achieves a degree of [[secure communication]] without a need to rely upon technology. This technique is sometimes referred to as "talking around" and is a form of [[security through obscurity]].

A notable example of obfuscation of written communication is a message sent by [[September 11 attacks]] ringleader [[Mohamed Atta]] to other conspirators prior to the attacks occurring:<ref>{{Cite news|title=Virtual soldiers in a holy war|url=https://www.haaretz.com/1.5122300|access-date=2020-06-25|newspaper=Haaretz|language=en}}</ref>

{{Quote
|text=The semester begins in three more weeks. We've obtained 19 confirmations for studies in the faculty of law, the faculty of urban planning, the faculty of fine arts and the faculty of engineering.
|author=[[Mohamed Atta]]
}} 

In this obfuscated message, the following [[Code word (figure of speech)|code words]] are believed to exist:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sirohi, Dr M. N.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/920167233|title=Cyber Terrorism and Information Warfare.|date=2015|publisher=Vij Books India Private Limited|isbn=978-81-931422-1-9|location=New Delhi|oclc=920167233}}</ref>
* "semester" refers to planned [[September 11 attacks]]
* "19 confirmations" refers to the [[Hijackers in the September 11 attacks]]
* "faculty of law" refers to a target, the [[United States Capitol]]
* "faculty of urban planning" refers to a target, the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]
* "faculty of fine arts" refers to a target, the [[White House]]
* "faculty of engineering" refers to a target, [[The Pentagon]]

Within the [[illegal drug trade]], obfuscation is commonly used in communication to hide the occurrence of drug trafficking. A common spoken example is "[[420 (cannabis culture)|420]]", used as a code word for [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]], a drug which, despite some recent prominent [[Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States|decriminalization]]  changes, [[Legality of cannabis|remains illegal in most places]]. The [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] reported in July 2018 a total of 353 different code words used for [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Slang Terms and Code Words: A Reference for Law Enforcement Personnel|url=https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-07/DIR-022-18.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-07/DIR-022-18.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=2020-06-26|website=Drug Enforcement Administration}}</ref>