system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] is Emperor Palpatine a very present public official in the Empire akin to Hitler, or is he shadowy and mostly absent with a relatively low profile? Is it widely known that he is a Sith Lord or more of an open secret/maybe conspiracy theory that he may be one?
gpt
He was a huge public figure early in his career as Chancellor, always in the spotlight and always on the holonet. However, unlike the loud and inflamed persona that Hitler presented, Palpatine gave off the airs of a kind, loving, yet stern and determined grandfatherly figure. Hitler stirred the anger of the audience and warped them down a dark path. Palpatine smiled and made everything feel like it was going to be okay, even as the galaxy went to hell around him. (of course, because he made it that way) He made grandiose speeches about how great things would be once the Clone Wars were over, and implored people to remain strong and united while he watched over them all. 

No one knew he was a Sith, because no one knew what Sith were. In the thousand years since their last major defeat and the beginning of the Rule of Two, the Sith had systematically removed themselves from history. They not only plunged into the dark background of the galaxy in a physical sense, they broke into libraries and databases, hacked records, and removed themselves from the common galactic memory. Time did the rest as people moved on from the last great wars. Even the Jedi began to seriously think that the Sith were long extinct and no longer a threat, hence why their initial response to Darth Maul was so lukewarm. 

Even if people knew Palpatine was affiliated with a religion called "Sith", it meant nothing to them. Just the private beliefs of an old man who needed a source of strength and comfort during a stressful time. In fact, this was another trap Palpatine had set for the Jedi. Because when they came to arrest him for being a Sith lord, he rightfully accused them of religious intolerance, which is hugely illegal in the Republic.