Issue
- How broad are state-secrets and espionage definitions?
- What public-interest or journalistic defences exist elsewhere?
- How do protected-information offences affect academic and legal work?
Research Topics
State Secrets, Espionage, and Information Control
Compares the SNSO state-secrets regime with other common-law and Mainland approaches to official secrets, espionage, and protected information.
Related topics
14 records
Safeguarding National Security Ordinance
Instrument A305; effective 23 March 2024
Hong Kong's local Article 23 legislation covering treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, state secrets and espionage, and related investigatory and procedural powers.
- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong
- Body
- HKSAR Legislative Council
Article 23SNSOstate secretsexternal interference
Safeguarding National Security: Basic Law Article 23 Legislation Public Consultation Document
Security Bureau consultation paper, January 2024
Official consultation paper setting out the proposed framework that led to the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, including treason, insurrection, sedition, state secrets, sabotage, external interference, procedure, and extraterritorial application.
- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong
- Body
- HKSAR Security Bureau
Article 23consultationSNSOextraterritorialitystate secrets
Legal Analysis of Hong Kong's Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and Lawyers
Asian Lawyers Network, The 29 Principles, Lawyers for Lawyers, 2024
Joint legal analysis of the Article 23 ordinance, with attention to implications for lawyers, legal professional privilege, and defence work.
- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong / International
- Body
- Asian Lawyers Network / The 29 Principles / Lawyers for Lawyers
lawyerslegal professionArticle 23privilege
Submission to the Security Bureau on Basic Law Article 23 Legislation Public Consultation Document
Amnesty International, ASA 17/7755/2024, 27 February 2024
NGO submission arguing that Article 23 proposals raised concerns over overbroad national security concepts, vague offences, proportionality, procedural rights, and freedoms of expression and association.
- Jurisdiction
- Hong Kong / International
- Body
- Amnesty International
Article 23consultation submissionAmnestyhuman rights
National Security Act 2023
2023 c. 32
UK statute modernising offences concerning protected information, trade secrets, foreign intelligence services, sabotage, foreign interference, and related enforcement powers.
- Jurisdiction
- United Kingdom
- Body
- UK Parliament
United Kingdomforeign interferenceespionagesabotage
Official Secrets Act 1989
1989 c. 6
UK legislation protecting defined classes of official information, useful for comparing state-secrets offences, disclosure restrictions, and public-interest defence debates.
- Jurisdiction
- United Kingdom
- Body
- UK Parliament
United Kingdomofficial secretsclassified informationdisclosure
18 U.S.C. Chapter 37: Espionage and Censorship
18 U.S.C. §§ 792-799
Federal criminal provisions covering national-defense information, aid to foreign governments, restricted defense installations, and disclosure of classified communications intelligence.
- Jurisdiction
- United States
- Body
- United States Congress
United Statesespionagenational defense informationclassified information
Official Secrets Act 1935
Official Secrets Act 1935
Singapore statute preventing disclosure of official documents and information, including spying and wrongful communication offences.
- Jurisdiction
- Singapore
- Body
- Singapore Parliament / Attorney-General's Chambers
Singaporeofficial secretsspyingdisclosure
Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets
Act No. 108 of 2013
Japanese law governing designation, handling, security clearance, oversight, and reporting for specially designated national security secrets.
- Jurisdiction
- Japan
- Body
- National Diet of Japan
Japanstate secretssecurity clearanceoversight
Act on Promotion of Ensuring National Security Through Integrated Implementation of Economic Measures
Act No. 43 of 2022
Economic-security legislation covering stable supply of critical products, essential infrastructure, critical technologies, and non-disclosure of patent applications.
- Jurisdiction
- Japan
- Body
- National Diet of Japan
Japaneconomic securitycritical infrastructurepatents
Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act
R.S.C., 1985, c. O-5
Canadian legislation addressing foreign interference and security of information, current to 2026 according to the Justice Laws website.
- Jurisdiction
- Canada
- Body
- Parliament of Canada
Canadaforeign interferencesecurity of information
French Penal Code: Offences Against the Fundamental Interests of the Nation
Code penal, Book IV, Title I, arts. 410-1 to 414-9
French criminal-law title covering treason, espionage, attacks on national defence, and related offences against the fundamental interests of the nation.
- Jurisdiction
- France
- Body
- French Republic / Legifrance
Franceespionagetreasonnational defence
National Security Legislation Amendment (Espionage and Foreign Interference) Act 2018
No. 67, 2018
Australian legislation introducing and amending espionage, foreign interference, sabotage, secrecy, and related national security offences.
- Jurisdiction
- Australia
- Body
- Parliament of Australia
Australiaespionageforeign interferencesabotage
Counter-Espionage Law of the PRC
Amended 26 April 2023; effective 1 July 2023
Mainland legislation on counter-espionage duties, state security investigative powers, and legal responsibility, relevant to cross-system comparison with Hong Kong's NSL framework.
- Jurisdiction
- Mainland China
- Body
- NPC Standing Committee
Mainland Chinacounter-espionagestate security