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Ex-Google developer accused of AI secrets theft and selling to Chinese tech firms
Linwei Ding, who previously worked as a software developer for Google, is accused of illicitly taking more than 500 distinct files of classified data from Google and selling them to a firm in China. Even as he was still employed at Google in one of their US campuses, Ding took on a role as a CTO in a tech firm based in China.
On Wednesday, it came to light that the Justice Department has indicted Linwei Ding, a former software engineer at Google, who also goes by the name of Leon Ding. Ding, who hails from China, is accused of illegally taking artificial intelligence trade secrets from Google. He was detained in Newark, California and is currently facing four charges of federal trade secret theft. Each of these charges could result in a prison term of up to 10 years.
During a conference held by the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Attorney General Merrick Garland unveiled the charges, underscoring the continuous worries about economic spying by China and the potential threats to national security due to progress in artificial intelligence and other new technologies.
FBI Chief Christopher Wray highlighted the seriousness of the current conditions, saying, "The recent indictments clearly show the extent to which associates of firms from the People's Republic of China are prepared to go in order to pilfer American ingenuity." Wray stressed the harmful effects of such robbery on American employment and its substantial economic and national security consequences.
Google revealed that it had detected an employee stealing "multiple documents" and swiftly alerted the relevant law enforcement agencies.
Google spokesperson, Jose Castaneda, stated that the firm has rigorous systems in place to halt any unauthorized sharing of its confidential business data and proprietary secrets. Castaneda highlighted that after an inquiry, it was found that an employee had illegally procured several documents, leading Google to promptly engage with law enforcement bodies. He thanked the FBI for their help in protecting Google's data and reiterated the company's dedication to continuous cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
In the highly competitive field of advanced technology, artificial intelligence acts as a main battleground for competitors, having substantial consequences for both business prosperity and safety.
The charges disclosed on Wednesday in California's Northern District accuse Linwei Ding, who has been a Google employee since 2019 and was given access to confidential data about the company's supercomputing data centers, of initiating an unapproved transfer of hundreds of files to a personal Google Cloud account two years ago.
Prosecutors claim that soon after the theft began, Linwei Ding was proposed a role as the head of technology at a budding tech firm in China. The company boasted its use of AI technology and lured Ding by offering a monthly wage of roughly $14,800, plus a yearly bonus and shares in the firm.
The charge sheet details Ding's journey to China where he participated in business investor meetings for the corporation, aiming to obtain funding for its activities. Furthermore, he founded and took on the position of CEO at another emerging company located in China, emphasizing on developing extensive AI models using high-performance computing chips.
Significantly, Ding kept his association with these Chinese businesses hidden from Google. During the investigation, it was discovered that he was a lower-level employee. Ding ended his tenure with Google on December 26th.
Not long after he left, authorities at Google found out that Ding had claimed to be the CEO of a Chinese firm at a finance event in Beijing only three days later. Moreover, security camera footage showed that another worker had been using Ding's entry pass at Google's US location, giving the illusion that Ding was in the office, when in reality he was in China.
After discovering these inconsistencies, Google cut off Ding's network access, remotely secured his laptop, and started examining his past network activities. Later in January, the FBI carried out a search warrant at Ding's home, confiscating his electronic gadgets. A further warrant was issued to access Ding's private accounts, unearthing more than 500 distinct files of supposedly pilfered confidential data from Google.
(Incorporating information from various sources)
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