>> That secrecy, however, comes with a psychological cost.
Being acknowledged for someone concerned about OpSec is minor, if not completely unimportant issue. Grind of maintaining OpSec for most is mind numbing in my experience, especially over an extended duration. One minor slip ends it all - and risk of slipping increases relative significance of the related operations, since more eyes increases odds someone will notice something, they’ll be forced into unfamiliar situations, etc.
Beyond that, research shows that odds of being discovered grow as more people know:
Being acknowledged for someone concerned about OpSec is minor, if not completely unimportant issue. Grind of maintaining OpSec for most is mind numbing in my experience, especially over an extended duration. One minor slip ends it all - and risk of slipping increases relative significance of the related operations, since more eyes increases odds someone will notice something, they’ll be forced into unfamiliar situations, etc.
Beyond that, research shows that odds of being discovered grow as more people know:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35411684.amp