From Ancient Egypt to Modern America: Spying has Always been used to Crush Dissent | Global Research
The Roman Empire possessed a fondness for the practice of political
espionage. Spies engaged in both foreign and domestic political
operations, gauging the political climate of the Empire and surrounding
lands by eavesdropping in the Forum or in public market spaces. Several
ancient accounts, especially those of the A.D. first century, mention
the presence of a secret police force, the frumentarii . By the third
century, Roman authors noted the pervasiveness and excessive censorship
of the secret police forces, likening them to an authoritative force or
an occupational army.
