Ethical Guidelines in Using Secret Intelligence for Public Security

Abstract

Pre-emptive intelligence is seen as key to enabling the state to counter terrorism without alienating the minority communities from whom the terrorists hope to gain support. The international nature of jihadist terrorism is placing increasing demands on intelligence agencies to cooperate with new partners overseas and to extend their range of methods, human and technical, to acquire such intelligence. This pressure is creating ethical dilemmas for the agencies at a time when the methods of secret intelligence and their impact on individual rights are the subject of public controversy. This article discusses the implications of the requirement to produce and share actionable high-value intelligence, and suggests a set of ethical guidelines for the British intelligence community. These guidelines aim to help sustain public confidence in intelligence work and in the directions in which this work must develop in order to generate the pre-emptive intelligence needed for public security.