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This article aims to understand transformations in intelligence gathering by investigating the question of betrayal and its contemporary metamorphoses. In the first part, we explain what a betrayal is in sociological terms, focusing at once on the specific features of betrayals involving people who work in this sphere of activity and on the social systems commonly used by states to limit their occurrence. The second part discusses changes in forms of betrayal and the emergence of the “whistleblower” on intelligence gathering. The idea is to characterize the phenomenon and especially to understand its development in this particular context: some changes in society, like the changes affecting intelligence gathering, play an essential part in driving these dynamics. Finally, we look into the question of possible means for regulating whistleblowing practice and the issues these would raise for the relevant organizations.