# Ethics of Intelligence
**Entity class:** Ethics and governance field
## Definition
The **ethics of intelligence** studies the purposes, authorities, proportionality, secrecy, deception, oversight, accountability, and consequences of intelligence activity. It asks how a state can maintain effective warning and protective capacity while keeping methods tied to legitimate authority and review.
## Relevance to this collection
It connects [[wiki/David Omand|David Omand]], [[wiki/Authorized Use|Authorized Use]], [[wiki/Audit and Accountability|Audit and Accountability]], and [[wiki/Oversight|Oversight]].
## Relationships
- **master collection:** [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]].
- **intellectual neighborhood:** [[wiki/Intellectual Neighborhood of the Counterterrorism Collection|Intellectual Neighborhood of the Counterterrorism Collection]].
## Sources / Provenance
- [King's College London, “Professor Sir David Omand”](https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/professor-sir-david-omand) (accessed 2026-09-23).
**As of:** 2026-09-23