[Purpose/significance] The intelligence ethics framework comprises the value criteria and ethical norms that should guide intelligence activities. It serves as the foundation for assessing whether intelligence activities conform to ethical standards. Exploring the development and evolution of the intelligence ethics framework and its underlying logic can provide a theoretical basis for its establishment. [Method/process] Focusing on academic literature, this study employs the method of academic history to chronologically review the developmental trajectory of the intelligence ethics framework and analyze the dynamics and logic behind its evolution. [Result/conclusion] The study reveals that the intelligence ethics framework has undergone significant developmental stages, including the "primitive theory of un⁃ethical intelligence, the justice intelligence theory in the anti-terrorism era, and the upgraded stepwise intelligence eth⁃ics framework in the big data era." It has evolved into a theory of just intelligence that encompasses ethical principles such as "just cause, lawful authority, legitimate purpose, proportionality principle, rationality principle, and alignment with objectives." The fundamental logic driving the evolution of the intelligence ethics framework is the balancing act
between the security interests of survival and development and the rights to individual freedom and privacy. Among var⁃ious driving factors, the security situation, threat perception, and emerging technologies exert the most direct and pro⁃found influence.