The Oxymoron of Secret Intelligence

The failure of intelligence agencies has been a failure of their ability to objectively test information they have gained. This is one of the central problems of a democracy : to what extent do we rely on these secret agencies for our security. This problem has many aspects : some are statistical ( whether evidence is validated and whether models you are using are logical and statistically optimal) and logistical ( the release of surveillance methods and knowledge to your enemy) and democratic. ( You are infringing the rights of citizens and their right to a fair trial).