Espionage means the deliberate and secretive practice of spying or using agents (spies) to obtain confidential, secret, or classified information without the consent of the party involved. This information could be related to military, political, commercial, or other sensitive areas. Espionage often involves deception, covert surveillance, recruitment of informants, or technical and digital methods like cyber espionage. It usually aims to benefit a state, organization, or corporation at the expense of another. Espionage is generally illegal and criminalized, especially when it threatens national security or involves theft of trade secrets.
In essence, espionage is spying to gather secret information often for strategic, political, or economic advantage, conducted through covert or deceptive means.
