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Ex-Google engineer accused of pilfering AI confidential data, trading them to Chinese tech firms
Linwei Ding, who previously worked as a software engineer at Google, is accused of illegally obtaining more than 500 distinct files of classified data from Google and trading them to a Chinese firm. While still being employed at Google's US campus, Ding accepted a role as a CTO at a tech firm based in China.
On Wednesday, it was disclosed by the Justice Department that ex-Google software engineer, Linwei Ding, also referred to as Leon Ding, has been accused of unlawfully obtaining artificial intelligence proprietary information from the corporation. Ding, who hails from China, was arrested in Newark, California, and is charged with four instances of federal trade secret theft. Each charge could lead to a maximum prison term of 10 years.
Merrick Garland, the Attorney General, unveiled the allegations at a conference held by the American Bar Association in San Francisco. He underscored the continuous worries about economic spying by China and the threats to national security due to progress in artificial intelligence and other novel technologies.
FBI Chief Christopher Wray highlighted the gravity of the situation by saying, "The charges levied today depict the extreme measures that associates of corporations from the People's Republic of China are prepared to take to pilfer American ingenuity." Wray stressed the harmful effects of such theft on employment in America and its considerable economic and national security implications.
Google announced that it had discovered an employee's theft of multiple documents and immediately informed the relevant law enforcement agencies.
Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda stated that the firm has strict protocols to safeguard its private business data and proprietary secrets from unauthorized sharing. Castaneda pointed out that after an inquiry, it was discovered that the employee had unlawfully acquired several documents which led Google to immediately contact the relevant authorities. He thanked the FBI for their help in protecting Google's information and reassured their continuous cooperation with law enforcement.
In the high-tech competitive field, artificial intelligence acts as a main battleground for competitors, carrying substantial consequences for both business triumph and safety.
The charges revealed on Wednesday in the Northern District of California claim that Linwei Ding, who has been a Google employee since 2019 and given access to confidential details about the company's supercomputing data centers, started an unauthorized transfer of hundreds of documents to a private Google Cloud account two years ago.
Prosecutors state that soon after the theft began, a nascent technology firm in China extended an offer to Linwei Ding to become their chief technology officer. The company emphasized their utilization of AI technology and lured Ding with a monthly wage of roughly $14,800, in addition to an annual bonus and shares in the company.
The legal document details Ding's journey to China, where he took part in company investor meetings and strived to raise funds for its functions. Moreover, he founded and took on the position of CEO at another startup in China, which concentrates on training extensive AI models using supercomputing chips.
Interestingly, Ding kept his association with these Chinese firms hidden from Google, which only discovered he was a lower-level employee during their inquiry. Ding stepped down from his position at Google on December 26th.
Not long after he left, it was unveiled by Google authorities that Ding had falsely claimed to be the CEO of a Chinese firm at a finance seminar in Beijing just three days post his departure. Additionally, CCTV footage exposed that another worker had been using Ding's entry pass at Google's American premises to give the impression that Ding was physically present at work, when in reality he was in China.
After discovering these inconsistencies, Google terminated Ding's network access, remotely locked his laptop, and started reviewing his past network activities. Later, in January, the FBI carried out a search warrant at Ding's home, confiscating his electronic gadgets. They further secured a warrant to access Ding's personal accounts, which unveiled more than 500 unique files of supposed secret information stolen from Google.
(Incorporating information from various sources)
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