Latest news with #espionage
LBCI
an hour ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Iran media reports arrest of 'European spy'
Iranian authorities have arrested a European on suspicion of espionage, domestic media reported on Friday, as war rages between the Islamic republic and its arch-foe Israel. "A European citizen who sought to spy on sensitive areas of the country" was arrested in southwestern Iran, Tasnim news agency said, without specifying the nationality of the suspect or the arrest date. "He had been visiting the country as a tourist at the time of the brutal attack by the Zionist regime." AFP
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Refusing to employ Chinese and Russians in sensitive national security jobs is not discrimination because they might be spies, tribunal rules
Refusing to employ Chinese and Russians in sensitive national security jobs is not discrimination because they might be spies, a tribunal has ruled. It is not discriminatory to stop people from nations that pose a threat to Britain taking up certain jobs in the defence sector due to the possibility of espionage, the judgement suggests. The precautionary measure applies to potential job candidates from China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran - four nations currently viewed as threats by Western allies. The new ruling comes after a Chinese scientist sued a British AI company with ties to the UK and US defence departments when she was not given a job due to security concerns. Tianlin Xu applied for a £220,000 lead AI role at Binary AI Ltd but the software company's young tech boss Dr James Patrick-Evans had to reject her. Dr Patrick-Evans' start-up uses AI to identify flaws in software used by Western governments to prevent state-backed hackers from the likes of China and Russia targeting them. Dr Patrick-Evans, 32, was 'strongly advised against hiring a Chinese national' by top defence officials that he worked with, it was heard. Chinese people - such as Miss Xu - would not get security clearance from governments in order to carry out the work, it was said. Miss Xu tried to sue Binary AI Ltd on grounds of race discrimination, claiming it was 'racial stigma' and 'stereotyping'. But the tribunal dismissed her claims after hearing evidence of the security concerns. Employment Judge Richard Baty said in his judgement: 'It is obvious that software drives the modern world. It underpins our everyday lives and runs every sector of our state. 'It is in every mobile phone, television, in consumer goods, schools, hospitals, and critical national infrastructure and forms the backbone and the operations of UK government and UK defence. 'Therefore, it is paramount that the security and operational capability of the software that drives our everyday lives should remain intact and free from malicious hackers and state actors wanting to persuade political outcomes or obtain sensitive information. 'The UK government and its Western allies that form the five eyes alliance have been under constant attack by many of these malicious groups, mainly from state-backed hacking groups from countries such as North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. 'These hacking groups have tried to obtain a 'backdoor' or malicious remote access into software that forms the backbone of UK infrastructure such as 5G telecoms, NHS health networks, power plant controllers, and water infrastructure systems. 'It is therefore imperative that the security of the software that drives these systems is verified, controlled and secured. 'Backdoors' have a devastating impact on the security of UK sovereignty and economic well-being. 'They allow foreign states to spy on the most sensitive UK data and steal sensitive information and economic trade secrets. Detecting backdoors hidden in software is exceptionally difficult.' Dr Patrick-Evans' company counts its primary customers as organisations within the UK and US defence community where 'strictest security concerns are essential'. They operate at a 'top security clearance level and require extensive background checks and verifications' on people working within them, it was heard. Judge Baty added: 'The threats come primarily from groups backed by states such as North Korea, Russia, China and Iran. 'That creates enormous challenges to anyone who is a national of any of these countries working in the industry.' Binary AI had a contract with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory - the top secret Porton Down lab - and the Ministry of Defence to develop AI that could identify hidden backdoors inside software. The hearing in central London was told 'highly intelligent' Miss Xu applied for the lead AI role in September 2023. Around the time, Dr Patrick-Evans asked contacts in the UK defence community about hiring a Chinese person for the role 'He was informed by top defence officials that a Chinese national could not work in this area due to national security constraints', the judgement said. They told it would 'create all kinds of difficulties'. One defence official told him: 'Unfortunately our position has been hardening on this in recent months and we are now unable to fund Chinese nationals for any NS-related work (no matter how long they've been resident). 'The work you're doing is of great interest to our community and is likely to get into quite sensitive territory, so I would strongly advise against hiring a Chinese national.' Dr Patrick-Evans was impressed by Miss Xu but considered that she would not get necessary clearance. She was also not favoured because she 'had no experience at all in this field and was not the best equipped candidate'. The winning candidate was British, had already worked in the field, and had previously been given security clearance. Dr Patrick-Evans told Miss Xu: 'Disappointingly I've come to the decision not to proceed with your application on the sole basis of your nationality. 'As a company, we work closely in sensitive areas with western governments and wish to continue to do so. 'We're simply not big enough of a company to ensure the separation and security controls needed to hire someone of your nationality at this stage.' Judge Baty concluded that despite the 'clumsy' language of his message to Miss Xu, it was not discriminatory to reject her because the security issues had to be considered. Judge Baty said: '[Binary AI] operates in a highly sensitive niche industry, whose end users are Western governments. 'Those end users set the rules on what they consider to be security requirements within the industry. 'A product is not viable if a company falls short of those requirements.' Judge Baty added: 'I find that the fact that an individual is a Chinese national (or, indeed, a Russian national, North Korean national or Iranian national) did preclude that individual working in a role, such as the Lead AI role, which involved working closely on matters concerning national security. 'Finally, I find that that prohibition was a decision of customers, rather than [Binary AI] or Dr Patrick-Evans themselves. 'From this point on, therefore, I find that Dr Patrick-Evans believed that he would not be able to offer [her] the Lead AI role because he believed that, because she was a Chinese national, she would not be able to obtain the security clearance necessary to do that role.'
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Taiwan pursues homegrown Chinese spies as Beijing's influence grows
TAIPEI: Taiwan is vetting hundreds of thousands of military service members, public school teachers and civil servants in a bid to root out potential homegrown Chinese sympathizers, as Beijing intensifies espionage on the island. Alarm is growing in Taiwan over the extent of China's infiltration on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force. Prosecutors last week charged four recently expelled members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party — including a former staffer in President Lai Ching-te's office — for sharing state secrets with Beijing. While Taipei and Beijing have spied on each other for decades, analysts warn the threat to Taiwan is more serious given the risk of a Chinese attack. The main targets of Chinese infiltration have been retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology. Lai, an outspoken defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and loathed by Beijing, has branded China a 'foreign hostile force' and sought to raise public awareness about Chinese actions he says threaten national security. After a sharp rise in the number of people prosecuted for spying for China in recent years, the government is trying to identify people within its own departments, military and public schools with a possible allegiance to Beijing. Anyone on the public service payroll found with Chinese residence or other identification cards risks losing their Taiwanese household registration, effectively their citizenship. 'The reason we started to survey (for Chinese IDs) is because China uses this way to coerce Taiwanese people, to penetrate our system, especially the public service,' DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu told AFP. 'The threat is getting worse and worse and we have to deal with that.' In the first round held recently, 371,203 people, or nearly all of those surveyed, signed statements declaring they did not hold any Chinese ID documents prohibited by Taiwanese law. Two people admitted having Chinese ID cards and 75 having residence permits, which were annulled, Taiwan's top policy body on China, the Mainland Affairs Council, said. The second round of vetting is underway, but the government has said the general public will not be targeted. Concern over Taiwanese people holding Chinese ID documents flared after a YouTube video last year alleged there were tens of thousands of cases. A senior Taiwanese security official said recently China was issuing ID papers to a growing number of people from Taiwan, but it was 'difficult to estimate' how many or track down offenders without Beijing's cooperation. 'The idea is to define Taiwanese citizens as Chinese citizens under their legal framework,' the official said. Legal scholar Su Yen-tu said there were limits on the government's 'investigatory power' to find out who held Chinese ID cards in Taiwan. If Taiwanese people did not voluntarily disclose the information, 'there's not much the government can do,' said Su, a research professor at Academia Sinica. Collecting records was still 'potentially useful,' Jamestown Foundation president Peter Mattis told AFP, particularly if someone under investigation in the future is found to have lied about their documents. Taiwan has also asked around 10,000 Chinese spouses and their China-born children for proof they have given up their Chinese household registration, a decades-old requirement under Taiwanese law. The notices sparked criticism that the government was being heavyhanded, but Wang said stricter enforcement was needed because some 'new immigrants' from China had spied for Beijing and interfered in Taiwan's elections. 'I personally feel that it's a bit disturbing for the people,' said Li I-ching, a 23-year-old graduate student in Taipei, who was born in China to a Chinese mother and a Taiwanese father. Like many others, Li has to obtain evidence from China that she no longer holds permanent residence status. The Beijing-friendly main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) has accused the government of conducting 'loyalty' tests. 'At a time when our country is facing so many difficulties... the government is only thinking about how to cleanse the population,' said KMT lawmaker Chen Yu-jen. The dispute between Taiwan and China dates back to 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's communist fighters and fled to the island. China has vowed to annex Taiwan and in recent years has ramped up its military pressure on the island. Taiwan says China also uses disinformation, cyberattacks and espionage to weaken its defenses. 'It's a fight every day for the Taiwanese against this sort of stuff,' said Mark Harrison, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at the University of Tasmania. 'I think their democracy has tremendous integrity, but it does have to be defended, and when you defend something, it certainly generates a lot of discourse, a lot of debate.'
CNA
2 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
Taiwan pursues homegrown Chinese spies as Beijing's influence growsc
TAIPEI: Taiwan is vetting hundreds of thousands of military service members, public school teachers and civil servants in a bid to root out potential homegrown Chinese sympathisers, as Beijing intensifies espionage on the island. Alarm is growing in Taiwan over the extent of China's infiltration on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force. Prosecutors last week charged four recently expelled members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party – including a former staffer in President Lai Ching-te's office – for sharing state secrets with Beijing. While Taipei and Beijing have spied on each other for decades, analysts warn the threat to Taiwan is more serious given the risk of a Chinese attack. The main targets of Chinese infiltration have been retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology. Lai, an outspoken defender of Taiwan's sovereignty and loathed by Beijing, has branded China a "foreign hostile force" and sought to raise public awareness about Chinese actions he says threaten national security. After a sharp rise in the number of people prosecuted for spying for China in recent years, the government is trying to identify people within its own departments, military and public schools with a possible allegiance to Beijing. Anyone on the public service payroll found with Chinese residence or other identification cards risks losing their Taiwanese household registration, effectively their citizenship. "The reason we started to survey (for Chinese IDs) is because China uses this way to coerce Taiwanese people, to penetrate our system, especially the public service," DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu told AFP. "The threat is getting worse and worse and we have to deal with that." "CLEANSE THE POPULATION" In the first round held recently, 371,203 people, or nearly all of those surveyed, signed statements declaring they did not hold any Chinese ID documents prohibited by Taiwanese law. Two people admitted having Chinese ID cards and 75 having residence permits, which were annulled, Taiwan's top policy body on China, the Mainland Affairs Council, said. The second round of vetting is underway, but the government has said the general public will not be targeted. Concern over Taiwanese people holding Chinese ID documents flared after a YouTube video last year alleged there were tens of thousands of cases. A senior Taiwanese security official said recently China was issuing ID papers to a growing number of people from Taiwan, but it was "difficult to estimate" how many or track down offenders without Beijing's cooperation. "The idea is to define Taiwanese citizens as Chinese citizens under their legal framework," the official said. Legal scholar Su Yen-tu said there were limits on the government's "investigatory power" to find out who held Chinese ID cards in Taiwan. If Taiwanese people did not voluntarily disclose the information, "there's not much the government can do", said Su, a research professor at Academia Sinica. Collecting records was still "potentially useful", Jamestown Foundation president Peter Mattis told AFP, particularly if someone under investigation in the future is found to have lied about their documents. Taiwan has also asked around 10,000 Chinese spouses and their China-born children for proof they have given up their Chinese household registration, a decades-old requirement under Taiwanese law. "IT'S A FIGHT EVERY DAY" The notices sparked criticism that the government was being heavyhanded, but Wang said stricter enforcement was needed because some "new immigrants" from China had spied for Beijing and interfered in Taiwan's elections. "I personally feel that it's a bit disturbing for the people," said Li I-ching, a 23-year-old graduate student in Taipei, who was born in China to a Chinese mother and a Taiwanese father. Like many others, Li has to obtain evidence from China that she no longer holds permanent residence status. The Beijing-friendly main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) has accused the government of conducting "loyalty" tests. "At a time when our country is facing so many difficulties... the government is only thinking about how to cleanse the population," said KMT lawmaker Chen Yu-jen. The dispute between Taiwan and China dates back to 1949 when Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong's communist fighters and fled to the island. China has vowed to annex Taiwan and in recent years has . Taiwan says China also to weaken its defences. "It's a fight every day for the Taiwanese against this sort of stuff," said Mark Harrison, a senior lecturer in Chinese studies at the University of Tasmania.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Brazil's Bolsonaro used intelligence agency to spy on judges, lawmakers and journalists, police say
Brazil's federal police accused former president Jair Bolsonaro and 35 others of involvement in a sprawling scheme that used the country's intelligence agency to spy on members of the judiciary, lawmakers and journalists. The seal on the 1,125-page document, which adds to the far-right leader's woes, was lifted by the country's Supreme Court on Wednesday. The federal police document said Bolsonaro was both aware of the scheme and its main beneficiary. Investigator Daniel Carvalho Brasil Nascimento, who chairs the probe, named one of the former president's sons, Rio de Janeiro councilor Carlos Bolsonaro, as a key plot member. The police investigation focuses on a so-called parallel structure in Brazil's intelligence agency. '(Bolsonaro and Carlos) were responsible for the definitions of the criminal organization's strategic guidelines, for choosing the targets of the clandestine actions (against opponents, institutions, the electoral system) so they would politically gain from these operations,' the federal police said. 'They are the decision center and the main recipients of illicit advantages.' Bolsonaro, who governed between 2019 and 2022 and is already barred by Brazil 's electoral court from running in next year's elections, is standing on trial over allegations that he attempted a coup to stay in office despite his 2022 defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He denies any wrongdoing and claims he is being politically persecuted. One of the counts Bolsonaro will be sentenced on in the coup case is precisely on leading a criminal organization, which stopped federal police from requesting the same for the accusations revealed on Wednesday, as both investigations entwine. 'If he were accused again for the same facts, this would most likely come up against a prohibition called prohibition obis in idem, a Latin formula that means double punishment or double accusation for the same act,' said João Pedro Padua, a law professor at the Fluminense Federal University. The evidence revealed on Wednesday can still be used in the coup probe. Celso Vilardi, a lawyer for Bolsonaro, told the The Associated Press he was yet to analyze the federal police report and its accusations against his client. Brazil's federal police also accused Luiz Fernando Corrêa, the head of the country's intelligence agency under Lula, of undue interference in investigations. On Tuesday, staffers of the agency issued a statement to push for Corrêa's resignation. He did not respond a request for comment. Brazil's Supreme Court will hand the police investigation to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will decide whether the investigation will be taken to the Supreme Court for trial. Last year, police arrested five people in connection with the case, under the suspicion that the Brazilian intelligence agency was being misused. Court documents showed then several authorities were under illegal investigation, including former speakers Arthur Lira and Rodrigo Maia, Supreme Court justices, officials of Brazil's environmental agency Ibama, former Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria and prominent political journalists. ____ Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
