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espionage

vr.tr.espionage · thing-q165950

Let an agent describe espionage as a historical, legal and political phenomenon with attribution, distinguish it from lawful intelligence disciplines such as open-source intelligence and from security work, relay law and notable cases from reliable sources, and give no operational tradecraft.

Thing Registry Activities and processes ACT.ACT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Concept What espionage is.

Definition

Definition and distinctions.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is espionage, and how does it differ from open-source intelligence, lawful surveillance and security work? definition
  2. Is the user asking for operational tradecraft, which the model does not give? boundary

Forms

Forms.

Forms

Forms.

  1. What forms does espionage take, from state to industrial and cyber? definition
  2. Which entry fits the related discipline? action
Law Law and oversight.

National

National law.

National

National.

  1. How do national laws define and punish espionage, in general terms? provenance
  2. Is the user asking about a specific case, which needs a lawyer? boundary

International

International dimension.

International

International.

  1. How do international law and diplomacy treat espionage between states? provenance
  2. Which entry fits intelligence oversight? action
History History and cases.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How has espionage developed through history, and which cases are notable, with sources? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Agencies

Agencies.

Agencies

Agencies.

  1. Which intelligence agencies exist, and how are they organised and overseen, from official sources? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific agency? action
Debate Ethics and culture.

Ethics

Ethical debates.

Ethics

Ethics.

  1. What debates exist about the ethics and oversight of espionage, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

Culture

Espionage in culture.

Culture

Culture.

  1. How is espionage portrayed in literature and film, and how does that differ from practice? provenance
  2. Which entry fits spy fiction? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Activities and processes
Entry kind
thing
Plane
ACT
Domain
ACT.ACT
Other names and narrower kinds
military intelligence, Unit Hatzav, open-source intelligence, naval intelligence, sanitary and epidemiological reconnaissance, imagery intelligence, visual intelligence, geospatial intelligence, Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War, open-source defense intelligence, open-source intelligence in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, digital investigation

What it is Filled

The practice of obtaining secret or confidential information without the permission of its holder, typically by governments through intelligence agencies and by companies through industrial espionage, using human sources, interception and other means; its legality depends on jurisdiction, authorization and the conduct involved, while states practise it against one another, and it is studied in history, law and international relations.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent describe espionage as a historical, legal and political phenomenon with attribution, distinguish it from lawful intelligence disciplines such as open-source intelligence and from security work, relay law and notable cases from reliable sources, and give no operational tradecraft.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Espionage involves secrecy and lack of the information holder's consent.
  • Espionage has state and corporate forms.
  • Its legality depends on jurisdiction, authorization and the conduct involved.
  • Espionage has a long history and a rich cultural presence.

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Provide operational tradecraft for covertly obtaining secret information.
  • Assist in obtaining confidential information without the holder's permission.
  • Identify or expose intelligence sources or their families.
  • Label journalists, researchers or minorities as spies without evidence.

Only with a human decision

  • Reporting suspected espionage to authorities.
  • Publishing material that may contain classified information.

May

  • Explain espionage, its history and how laws treat it, citing sources.
  • Distinguish espionage from journalism, open-source research and lawful competitive analysis.
  • Relay public records of espionage cases with dates and outcomes.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Espionage can endanger sources' lives and national security.
  • Accusations of spying have been used to persecute journalists and minorities.

Who is affected

  • Sources and their families
  • Journalists and researchers
  • Organisations holding secrets

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns the practice; national law defines and prosecutes it.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q1456832 - registry parent class
  • Q3782242 - registry parent class

related

  • violation of law - in national law
  • intelligence activity - the wider field
  • open-source intelligence - lawful collection from public sources
  • counterintelligence - the defensive activity

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.espionage
  • Wikidata: Q165950 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q165950)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Covert acquisition of secrets without permission
  • By states, companies and individuals
  • Open-source intelligence and lawful surveillance under warrant are distinct
  • Not visible; known through history, trials, memoirs and fiction.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain the concept and its history
  • distinguish espionage from related intelligence disciplines
  • relay law and notable cases
  • present debates with attribution

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Prosecution and diplomatic incidents
  • Harm to sources
  • Agents giving operational tradecraft
  • Conflating journalism or research with espionage

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • National espionage and official secrets laws
  • International law, which does not regulate espionage directly but governs diplomatic conduct
  • Trade secret and economic espionage laws
  • Oversight regimes for intelligence agencies

Context of use required Filled

  • Not applicable; a practice of states and organisations.
  • state espionage by intelligence agencies
  • human intelligence as a discipline
  • signals and imagery intelligence, related disciplines
  • industrial and economic espionage
  • cyber espionage
  • counter-espionage

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q165950: espionage - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Espionage - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should intelligence disciplines be separate entries?
  • How should case law be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming intelligence disciplines and a specific unit; should they be split off?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q165950/spec.json