Drone Espionage Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
Amends the federal espionage statute to add video to the list of defense-information formats whose taking or transmission can trigger 18 U.S.C. 793 liability.
Who Benefits and How
Federal prosecutors, counterintelligence investigators, military installation security staff, and defense-information custodians benefit because video recordings are explicitly covered alongside photographs and other visual materials. The change is especially relevant to drone or phone video near military facilities, defense contractors, or sensitive national-defense sites. The public benefits if the update closes an evidentiary gap for modern surveillance formats.
Who Bears the Burden and How
People who knowingly take or transmit restricted defense-information video face clearer criminal exposure under section 793. Drone operators, photographers, and online publishers near sensitive defense sites must be more careful about whether video captures national-defense information. Federal courts and defense counsel must apply the amended wording in espionage prosecutions.
Key Provisions
- Amends 18 U.S.C. 793 to insert video where the statute references photographic negatives and similar materials.
- Extends defense-information protection to modern video capture formats.
- Supports prosecution of unauthorized video recording or transmission of national-defense information.
- Creates clearer risk for drone or phone video involving sensitive defense information.
- Leaves the rest of the espionage statute's intent, access, and national-defense-information requirements in place.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends the federal espionage statute to add video to the list of defense-information formats whose taking or transmission can trigger 18 U.S.C. 793 liability.
Key Policy Areas
National Security, Criminal Law, Drones
Primary Purpose
Amends the federal espionage statute to add video to the list of defense-information formats whose taking or transmission can trigger 18 U.S.C. 793 liability.
Policy Domains
House resolution provisions
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Federal prosecutors
- Counterintelligence investigators
- Military installation security staff
- Defense-information custodians
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Drone operators
- Photographers
- Online publishers
- Federal courts
- Defense counsel
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedPlaced on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. …
Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Grassley without amendment. …
Reported by Mr. Grassley, without amendment
Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment …
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Border …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
Mrs. Moody (for herself, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Lee, Mr. Budd, …
Mrs. Moody (for herself, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Lee, Mr. Budd, …
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "section_793"
- → 18 U.S.C. 793
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology