This act made it a crime, punishable by a $10,000 fine and 20 years in jail, for a person to convey false reports or false statements with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies.
The law was later extended by the Sedition Act of 1918, which made it illegal to even speak out against the government.
During and after World War I the Espionage Act and the Sedition Act were used in prosecutions that would be considered constitutionally unacceptable in the U.S. even in the political climate after the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack on New York's World Trade Center. While much of the laws were repealed in 1921, major portions of the Espionage Act remain part of U.S. law (18 USC 793, 794) and form the legal basis for most classified information.
The US Congress has encated other laws to protect specific types of information including:
Under the Act, there is also criminal forfeiture to the United States of (1) any property constituting or derived from the proceeds of violations of the Act, and (2) the forfeiture of any property used or intended to be used, in any manner or part, to commit or facilitate a violation of the Act.
The Act also authorizes the Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General, or Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department to apply for a federal court order authorizing or approving the interception of wore or oral communications by the FBI or other federal agencies having responsibility for the investigation of the offense.
The Economic EspionageAct of 1996 is a major development in the law of trade secrets in the United States and internationally.
The EspionageAct of 1917 made it a crime, punishable by a $10,000 fine and 20 years in jail, for a person to convey antipathy with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the military or naval forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies.
During and after World War I the EspionageAct and the Sedition Act were used in prosecutions that would be considered constitutionally unacceptable in the U.S. even in the political climate after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York's World Trade Center.
While much of the laws were repealed in 1921, major portions of the EspionageAct remain part of U.S. law (18 USC 793, 794) and form the legal basis for most classified information.
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