Espionage was also prevalent in the Greco-Roman world, when spies employed illiterate subjects in civil services. The ancient Egyptians had a developed secret service, and espionage is mentioned in the Iliad, the Bible, and the Amarna letters as well as its recordings in the story of the Old Testament, The Twelve Spies.

The oldest known classified document was a report made by a spy disguised as a diplomatic envoy in the court of King Hammurabi, who died in around 1750 BC. Almost all sovereign states have strict laws concerning espionage, including those who practise espionage in other countries, and the penalties for being caught are often severe.Įspionage has been recognized as of importance in military affairs since ancient times. Counterintelligence is the practice of thwarting enemy espionage and intelligence-gathering. In times of crisis, spies steal technology and sabotage the enemy in various ways. They can also find dissidents within the organization and influence them to provide further information or to defect. Spies can then return information such as the size and strength of enemy forces. One way to gather data and information about a targeted organization is by infiltrating its ranks. Spying involving corporations is known as industrial espionage. However, the term tends to be associated with state spying on potential or actual enemies for military purposes. In some circumstances, it may be a legal tool of law enforcement and in others, it may be illegal and punishable by law.Įspionage is often part of an institutional effort by a government or commercial concern. The practice is clandestine, as it is by definition unwelcome. Any individual or spy ring (a cooperating group of spies), in the service of a government, company, criminal organization, or independent operation, can commit espionage. A person who commits espionage is called an espionage agent or spy. Illegal consumption (such as prohibition of drugs, alcohol, and smoking)Įspionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information ( intelligence).( February 2019) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a new article, as appropriate. The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.

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