The current Official Secrets Act, last updated in 1989, makes provisions for whistle-blowers who leak sensitive information that they consider to be in the public interest, distinguishing their actions from espionage. Now, a government consultation from the Home Office has suggested a reform to the legislation that will do away with the distinction, essentially treating such journalists and their sources as spies. The Home Office has also proposed a dramatic increase in prison time for breaking the law, going from two years to a possible fourteen years behind bars.
