Claim: James Bond is a spy.

Espionage -LRB- colloquially , spying -RRB- is the obtaining of information considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information . Espionage can be committed by an individual or a spy ring -LRB- a cooperating group of spies -RRB- , in the service of a government or a company , or operating independently . The practice is inherently clandestine , as it is by definition unwelcome and in many cases illegal and punishable by law . Espionage is a subset of `` intelligence '' gathering , which includes espionage as well as information gathering from public sources .   Espionage is often part of an institutional effort by a government or commercial concern . However , the term is generally associated with state spying on potential or actual enemies primarily for military purposes . Spying involving corporations is known as industrial espionage .   One of the most effective ways to gather data and information about the enemy -LRB- or potential enemy -RRB- is by infiltrating the enemy 's ranks . This is the job of the spy -LRB- espionage agent -RRB- . Spies can bring back all sorts of information concerning the size and strength of enemy forces . They can also find dissidents within the enemy 's forces and influence them to defect . In times of crisis , spies can also be used to steal technology and to sabotage the enemy in various ways . Counterintelligence operatives can feed false information to enemy spies , protecting important domestic secrets , and preventing attempts at subversion . Nearly every country has very strict laws concerning espionage , and the penalty for being caught is often severe . However , the benefits that can be gained through espionage are generally great enough that most governments and many large corporations make use of it to varying degrees .   Further information on clandestine HUMINT -LRB- human intelligence -RRB- information collection techniques is available , including discussions of operational techniques , asset recruiting , and the tradecraft used to collect this information .