Espionage and Censorship Act and How it Became U.S Code

ESPIONAGE
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Any country faces the threat of betrayal during war. The United States, in an attempt to deal with this, came up with the Espionage Act of 2006.The only difference is that this act not only applies to war but also during peace. Espionage is the felony of being an enemy’s informant. The Espionage Act 2006 traces its origin back to the Espionage Act of 1917.This was a time when the United States had opted to get into the First World War. It was put in place so as to discourage the assistance of the enemy by Americans, to prevent sabotage in the military, while also curbing any meddling in matters concerning military recruitment and activities.
Espionage during Peace
The Act defines this kind felony as an attempt or the actual act of submitting sensitive information that might be detrimental to the military operations and strategies of the country, to the enemy. This information is presented with an aim of helping the enemy gain some mileage in the United States. The informant might be acting for the benefit of personal gain or the punishment as per this legislation is life imprisonment. In the case where the felony resulted in the loss of life or lives, then the criminal is sentenced to death (Samaha, 2014).
Espionage during War
Under this, the felony involves the attempt or the actual act of collecting, recording and any form of communication to the enemy. This communication can include movements of the country’s soldiers, war vessels or any military information whatsoever that might be beneficial to the foe. Just like in the previous one, the penalty is death or life imprisonment (Samaha, 2014).
History of the Act
As earlier stated, the Act is part and extension of the Espionage Act 1917. It demanded that whenever the country engaged in some form of conflict with an external enemy, everyone within its boundaries was supposed to back the cause fully. This was part of the amendment of Section 3 which demanded in short, that anyone who was found to act, or speak, or to appear to move or speak, in a manner that was contrary to the mechanisms of the government or its military, then he or she would be subject to a penalty of not more than $10000, a jail term of not more than 20 years, or both....