- The Espionage Act 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.
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- The laws were ruled constitutional in the United States
Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919).
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- The law was later extended by the Sedition Act of 1918,
which made it illegal even to speak out against the government.
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- 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 attacks 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were repealed in 1921, major portions of the Espionage Act remain part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.
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- The US Congress has enacted other laws to protect specific
types of information including:
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- * cryptographic intelligence and methods - 18 USC 798
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- * nuclear weapons and materials (Restricted Data) - Atomic
Energy Act of 1954 (42 USC 2162, 2163, 2168, and 7383)
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- * industrial trade secrets - Industrial Espionage Act
of 1996 (18 USC Chapter 90)
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- * intelligence sources and methods (Wnintel) - in particular
the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (50 USC 421426)
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- * data stored on computers - Computer Fraud and Abuse
Act (18 USC 1030) and the Stored Communications Act (18 USC 2701)
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- * patient medical records (HIPPA)
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- * video tape rental and sale records (18 USC 2710)
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- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act
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