# Knowledge Sharing in Security-Sensitive Communities
## 2 Literature Review
### Intelligence Communities  
Community refers to a group or network of people with a common denominator, such as geographic location, culture, opinion, or identity [7]. Communities are dynamic, complex, and diverse [8], with a structure created by the connections and relationships between members. Social and collaborative computing technologies enable the development of platforms for knowledge sharing and strengthening relationships with the external environment. In these virtual platforms, each member can equally contribute to knowledge production and reception [9]. Culture affects knowledge sharing, with language differences creating knowledge barriers and intercultural differences influencing knowledge flow [10]. Other factors include participants' personal characteristics and their social connections [11].  
Intelligence communities are cautious about information sharing, but social and collaborative computing technologies can improve communication with government, academia, and private companies. Traditionally, a military intelligence community collects and analyzes information to support commanders' decisions. The intelligence cycle outlines stages of information collection and analysis [12]. This cycle has long described the transformation of raw information into intelligence knowledge through five stages: specifying essential information, collection, analysis, evaluation, and distribution [13,14]. Updating this cycle with technological advancements and knowledge-sharing platforms, including social media [15, 16, 17] and web-based sources [18], would be beneficial.  
However, intelligence organizations often delay adopting new technologies, creating a gap between industry innovations and traditional intelligence tools [19]. Implementing advanced social and collaborative computing for knowledge sharing in intelligence faces several challenges. First, the long-standing tradition of secrecy and compartmentalization may hinder progress. Second, each intelligence unit maintains its distinct identity, causing internal competition. Finally, a \"need to know\" or \"knowledge is power\" culture leads to sharing knowledge only when deemed necessary [2]. Effective intelligence analysis relies on quality information reaching the right expert at the right time, requiring knowledge sharing in an \"atmosphere of trust\" [20].  
Knowledge sharing in intelligence must balance strict security protocols. Trust is the foundation, ensuring only authorized personnel access critical information. Compartmentalization and need-to-know principles rely on trust that individuals will not abuse access rights. This is crucial, as leaked information can have severe national or global repercussions [21; 22].  
A lesser discussed albeit another important element in the information-sharing puzzle in security-sensitive organizations is the balance between security and usability. Complex and cumbersome security measures are likely to hinder sharing and collaboration. Usability considerations may aid in bridging between sharing and security [23].  
The next section discusses the relationship between trust, social behavior, and community structure.