&gt; In that case, the assistant attorney general told the court that the Tallahassee Police Department was under a non-disclosure agreement—likely from the leading manufacturer, Harris Corporation—forbidding it from acknowledging the use of a stingray, never mind describing it in detail.<p>The US government has sovereign immunity to lawsuits, and a weaker right to petition the government in the constitution. I had wondered about this a bit, but here&#x27;s at least a clear example of a case where you might plausibly want your government to not be bound by a civil contract.<p>In reality, I&#x27;m sure commercial contracts aren&#x27;t actually granted immunity. It&#x27;s just an example.<p>I wonder if it makes sense to do any of these:<p>* Ban the government from being able to sign an NDA for a commercial contract. Maybe some exceptions for military use.<p>* Require approval from the local, state, or federal legislature before the local, state, or federal executive branches can sign NDAs(since NDAs are effectively mini-laws that constrain the government).<p>* Allow NDAs, but have a public list of (Agency, Supplier) pairs for which NDAs exist