Washington (AFP) – A Chinese software engineer, identified as Linwei Ding, was taken into custody on Wednesday for allegedly appropriating artificial intelligence technology from Google while clandestinely collaborating with two Chinese firms, as stated by US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The 38-year-old, also known as Leon Ding, is accused of four counts of stealing trade secrets, revealed Garland during his address.
Ding, apprehended in Newark, California, purportedly shifted personal data from Google’s system to his personal account while covertly associated with foreign entities in the artificial intelligence sector.
Garland emphasized, “The Justice Department remains steadfast against the misappropriation of artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies that could jeopardize our national security.”
He further asserted, “We are committed to safeguarding the proprietary technology developed in the United States from unauthorized access.”
The arrest of Ding sheds light on “the lengths to which affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China are willing to go to acquire American innovations,” stated FBI Director Christopher Wray, using China’s official title.
Wray added, “The theft of advanced technology and confidential information from American enterprises can lead to job losses and have grave economic and national security repercussions.”
As per the allegations, Ding joined Google in 2019 and played a role in the development of technology utilized in Google’s computing data centers.
During the period between May 2022 and May 2023, he allegedly began transferring sensitive Google data to a private cloud storage.
The stolen information pertained to the hardware framework and software system enabling Google’s computing data centers to train extensive AI models via machine learning.
In June 2022, Ding was reportedly approached by the CEO of a Chinese tech startup, Beijing Rongshu Lianzhi Technology Co (Rongshu), who offered him the position of chief technology officer with a monthly salary of $14,800, the indictment revealed.
Furthermore, before May 2023, Ding established his own company in China, Shanghai Zhisuan Technology Co (Zhisuan), assuming the role of CEO.
The prosecution alleged that Ding never disclosed his affiliations with Rongshu or Zhisuan to Google.
Following Ding’s resignation from Google in December 2023, the company, headquartered in Mountain View, California, scrutinized his computer activities and uncovered his unauthorized actions from May 2022 to May 2023.
A spokesperson for Google, Jose Castaneda, mentioned, “After an internal inquiry, we confirmed that this individual had taken several documents, prompting us to report the matter to law enforcement.”
Castaneda assured, “We have stringent security measures in place to prevent the theft of our confidential business data and trade secrets.” He expressed gratitude to the FBI for their assistance in safeguarding their information and affirmed continued collaboration with the authorities.
If convicted, Ding could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each charge.
