A Chinese citizen has been apprehended for allegedly pilfering confidential information from Google related to its artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
Linwei (also known as Leon) Ding, aged 38, was taken into custody on Wednesday in Newark, California, and is facing four charges of “theft of trade secrets,” as per a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Having joined Google in 2019 as a software engineer, Ding’s role involved the development of a system utilized in the company’s supercomputer data centers, specifically focusing on software that facilitates the training of advanced AI models.
This incident unfolds against the backdrop of growing concerns among U.S. officials regarding the significant threat posed by China’s extensive practices of intellectual property theft, research appropriation, and acquisition of cutting-edge technologies. According to the National Interest Law in Beijing, Chinese enterprises are mandated to share information with the government.
Allegedly leveraging his access, Ding procured confidential data from Google’s Network and proceeded to upload it to a personal Google Cloud account starting in May 2022. Over the span of a year, he purportedly uploaded more than 500 confidential files, as outlined in Ding’s indictment.
During a five-month trip to China while still employed at Google, Ding clandestinely assumed the role of chief technology officer at Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology Co., a firm engaged in the development of machine learning platforms, as revealed in his email correspondence cited in the indictment.
Newsweek has reached out to both the U.S. Department of Justice and the Chinese foreign ministry for comments on the matter.
By the conclusion of May the previous year, Ding had established his own venture, Shanghai Zhisuan Technology Co.
In a pitch to investors shared on China’s WeChat messaging platform during another visit to the country in November, Ding stated: “We have experience with Google’s 10,000-card computational power platform; we just need to replicate and upgrade it and then further develop a computational power platform suited to China’s national conditions.”
The image of the newly constructed Google headquarters at 550 Washington Street in Hudson Square, New York City, was captured on January 9, 2024. A Chinese national was arrested on March 6, 2024, for allegedly absconding with AI secrets from the company. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Subsequently, Google became aware of Ding’s business endeavors in China a month later, discovering that he had presented himself as the CEO of Zhisuan at an investor conference in Beijing.
In response, the company revoked his network access, remotely locked his Google notebook, and scrutinized the history of Ding’s uploads.
FBI Director Christopher Wray remarked, “Today’s charges underscore the extensive measures that affiliates of Chinese-based companies are willing to take to appropriate American innovations.”
He further added, “The misappropriation of innovative technology and trade secrets from American corporations can lead to job losses and have severe economic and national security repercussions. The FBI remains committed to aggressively pursuing those accountable for the theft of intellectual property and closely guarded secrets of U.S. companies.”
If found guilty, Ding could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 per charge.
