WORLD & GLOBAL NEWS
UK accuses China of spy recruitment
The United Kingdom has laid out a new action against espionage threats, following an MI5 notification to Members of Parliament, Peers and Parliamentary staff.
The domestic intelligence service reportedly found that Chinese intelligence officers are attempting to recruit people with access to sensitive information about Britain.
MI5 named two online profiles that are believed to be “legitimate headhunters” working for Chinese intel officials to form relationships with targets on sites like LinkedIn.
On Tuesday, Security Minister Dan Jarvis informed MPs that he is coordinating a new Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to disrupt and deter spying from China and others.
Under the strategy, intelligence services will deliver security briefings for political parties and issue new guidance to election candidates to help them recognize and report suspicious activity.
The services will work with professional networking sites to make them a hostile operating environment for spies. The plan also seeks tight rules on political donations through a new Elections Bill.
“We’ve taken action to expose a covert and calculated attempt by China to interfere with our sovereign affairs,” Jarvis said, adding that security officials now have the powers to disrupt and deter foreign espionage activity.
The minister also announced new investment in the tools and capabilities to keep the UK safe, including a £170 million investment in renewing the sovereign and encrypted technology that civil servants use.
Furthermore, £130 million will be invested in building Counter Terrorism Policing’s ability to enforce the National Security Act, and fund the work of the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Protective Security Authority.
The National Security Act mandates the prosecution of those indicted for espionage activity, including obtaining protected information, assisting a foreign intelligence service, and obtaining a ‘material benefit’ from such.
Earlier in November, the British government introduced the new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to help protect organizations from cyber threats.
Meanwhile, the UK has completed the removal of surveillance equipment manufactured by companies subject to the National Intelligence Law of China from all its sensitive sites worldwide.
