O papel do controle na harmonização do sigilo inerente à atividade de inteligência e preceitos democráticos

Abstract

The Intelligence Activity, an essential service for the maintenance of state sovereignty, aims to analyze, obtain and disseminate knowledge about facts and situations of immediate or potential influence on the decision-making process, government action, the safeguard and security of society and the State. For the performance of its activities, intelligence requires the use of confidential means as a way of preserving actions, methods, and processes, professionals, and sources. However, the secrecy inherent in this office seems to conflict with modern democratic principles of transparency, publicity, and accountability. Would the secret service be incompatible with democracy? How to harmonize secrecy with advertising, the secret with the democratic? The answer goes through the establishment of efficient and effective controls. In Brazil, the Intelligence Activity is subjected to internal and external controls that guarantee faithful compliance with national legislation and legitimize the actions of the secret services.