Traffic Light Protocol (TLP): sharing information safely
Products and services
Collaboration & networking
Would you like to know with whom you may share information and under what conditions? The Traffic Light Protocol (TLP) provides a clear and simple way to do so. That is why the NCSC and its national and international partners use this standard.
How does the Traffic Light Protocol work?
The sender should clearly indicate the TLP designation alongside the information. For example, in the subject line of an email, at the beginning of a text, or in the header and footer of a document.
The Traffic Light Protocol uses the colours of a traffic light to indicate whether information may be shared with others and, if so, with whom.
- TLP:RED indicates that the recipient(s) may only share the information with the original sender and with the co‑recipients.
- TLP:AMBER indicates that the information may only be shared within the recipient’s organisation or with its customers. The “need‑to‑know” principle applies. For TLP-AMBER, the sender may also set additional restrictions.
- TLP:GREEN indicates that the information may be shared only within similar organisations across the wider community or sector. For example, you may post it on a closed internet forum, but not on a publicly accessible website.
- TLP:CLEAR indicates that there are no restrictions on distribution. You may share the information publicly.
The TLP standard is periodically updated. For the current version and further details, please refer to the TLP standard itself. The latest version can be found on the website of FIRST.