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Ex-Google engineer accused of pilfering AI confidential data and trading them to Chinese tech firms
Linwei Ding, who previously worked as a software engineer at Google, is accused of unlawfully obtaining more than 500 exclusive files containing private data from Google and selling them to a Chinese firm. While still employed at Google's US campus, Ding accepted a position as a CTO at a tech firm in China.
On Wednesday, it came to light that the Justice Department has indicted Linwei Ding, a previous software engineer at Google, who is also known as Leon Ding, for purportedly pilfering artificial intelligence proprietary information from the company. Ding, who is originally from China, was detained in Newark, California. He is looking at four charges of federal trade secret theft, and each charge could potentially lead to a maximum of 10 years in jail.
During an American Bar Association meeting in San Francisco, Attorney General Merrick Garland declared the allegations, underlining continuous worries about Chinese economic spying and the potential national security threats related to progress in artificial intelligence and other new technologies.
FBI Chief Christopher Wray highlighted the seriousness of the current scenario, stating, "The charges brought forward today are a clear indication of the extreme measures that associates of firms from the People's Republic of China are prepared to take to pilfer American innovation." Wray stressed the damaging consequences of this kind of theft on American employment, and its substantial repercussions on economic and national security.
Google announced that it had discovered an employee stealing "multiple documents" and immediately alerted the relevant legal authorities.
Google's representative, Jose Castaneda, stated that the firm has strict protocols to guard against unauthorized exposure of its confidential business data and proprietary secrets. Castaneda highlighted that after an inquiry, it was found that an employee had wrongfully accessed several files, leading Google to quickly engage with police authorities. He thanked the FBI for their help in protecting Google's data and confirmed the company's dedication to continuous cooperation with law enforcement.
In the high-tech competitive field, artificial intelligence acts as a key battleground for competitors, having substantial effects on both business achievements and safety.
The charges revealed on Wednesday in California's Northern District claim that Linwei Ding, a Google employee since 2019 with access to classified details about the company's supercomputing data centres, began an unsanctioned transfer of numerous documents to a private Google Cloud account two years prior.
Prosecutors have revealed that Linwei Ding was proposed to become the chief technology officer at an emerging tech firm in China not long after the theft. This firm emphasized its focus on AI technology and lured Ding with a monthly pay of roughly $14,800, in addition to a yearly bonus and shares in the company.
The charges detail that Ding journeyed to China, partook in investor conferences for the firm, and strived to gather funds for its functioning. Furthermore, he set up and took on the position of CEO at a different startup in China, aimed at developing big AI models using high-powered computer chips.
Significantly, Ding failed to inform Google about his association with these Chinese firms, which was discovered during the probe when it was found out he was a lower-ranking employee. Ding left his position at Google on December 26th.
Soon after he left, it came to the notice of Google authorities that Ding had posed as the chief executive of a Chinese company at a finance gathering in Beijing just three days after his exit. Additionally, security camera recordings exposed that another staff member was using Ding's entry card at Google's US establishment to give the impression that Ding was on-site, when in reality, he was in China.
After discovering these inconsistencies, Google revoked Ding's network privileges, remotely secured his computer, and started scrutinizing his online activities. Following this, in January, the FBI carried out a search warrant at Ding's home, confiscating his digital gadgets. An additional warrant was granted to access Ding's private accounts, which unveiled more than 500 distinct files of classified data purportedly pilfered from Google.
(Incorporating information from various sources)
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