Confidential / proprietary information is a blanket term used to describe information that gives a business a competitive advantage. There is also personal confidential information. Not all confidential / proprietary information qualifies as trade secrets.

Trade secrets are a subset of confidential / proprietary information and consist of business, technical, and financial information that

1. generally is not known or able to be known outside the entity possessing it,
2. provides an economic value or business advantage for the entity through its secret nature, and
3. the owner takes reasonable efforts to keep secret.