Just because we live in the Information Age doesn't mean we want all our information to be public, but publicity around otherwise private or undercover actions was rampant this year. Surreptitious spiked as news broke of covert government data collection and intelligence gathering. Breaches of credit card security at stores like Target and Home Depot also drove lookups and are emblematic of our digital growing pains.
The release of a recording of L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling making racist comments in private also caused a spike in lookups for surreptitious.
This year is also the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation following the Watergate scandal – and surreptitious was used to describe the crimes that led to the president's downfall.
