Clear Text

In data communications, clear text is a message or data that has not been encrypted for the purpose of transmission. To send as clear text, also called “in clear,” “en clair” and “in the clear,” means sending a message or data without cryptographic protection.

The term is related to, but is not synonymous with, the term “plaintext,” which stands for information (text) before it goes through the cryptographic process, when it may be compressed or otherwise manipulated before the application of the cryptographic process.