The Ethics of Acting Covertly

A covert action is an operation in which State A intends to influence events in State B without acknowledging that it is responsible for doing so. As the U.S. covert action statute defines it, covert action is “an activity or activities of the United States Government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly.” Thus, State A in the example above either will deny responsibility for the operation or, more often, simply remain silent in the face of claims that it is responsible. Types of covert operations have been the focus of several ethical analyses that address whether and how they may be justified. Is there, however, another level of potential ethical concern about a covert operation apart from its substantive character? Does acting covertly rather than overtly in itself raise distinctive ethical issues? Who, if anyone, has a right to know the identity of a state that has engaged in an activity

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