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Article: Official Secrets Act, United Kingdom
- Article from:
- Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, andSecurity
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Official Secrets Act, United Kingdom
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ADRIENNE WILMOTH LERNER
The Official Secrets Act of the United Kingdom prohibits the transfer of information deemed sensitive to national security interests. The first Official Secrets Act was passed
in 1889, and criminalized the sharing, disclosure, or publication of government information by employees and former employees of the intelligence and security forces. The act also covered the disclosure of information by journalists. The Intelligence Bureau, under the recommendation of the Committee for Imperial Defense, lobbied Parliament for the legislation. The act also codified the gathering of evidence to try an individual on ...