Intelligence, oversight and the ethics of whistleblowing: the case of Witness K

ABSTRACT Official secrecy and the actions states take against so-called unauthorised disclosures by those working in intelligence agencies, referred to either as ‘whistleblowers’ or ‘leakers’, raise questions relating to both the law and ethics of security intelligence as well as the rights of officials. A recent case in Australia has brought this issue into sharp relief, but it concerns all states in which intelligence operates within a democratic framework. The ethical implications of intelligence operations demonstrate the need for the rights of officials to be better protected by their incorporation into processes of oversight.