Google Employee Charged with Stealing AI Trade Secrets, Allegedly Working with Chinese Companies
A Google employee, Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, has been charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets for allegedly stealing artificial intelligence (AI) trade secrets from the tech giant. Ding is accused of secretly collaborating with two Chinese-based companies in the AI industry. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison for each count.
The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, emphasized its stance against the theft of advanced technologies that could jeopardize national security. Garland stated that protecting sensitive technologies developed in America from unauthorized access is paramount.
Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese national residing in California, allegedly transferred over 500 files containing confidential information from Google to his personal account over a year starting in 2022. These files reportedly contained crucial technology related to Google’s advanced supercomputing data centers.
Prosecutors revealed that Ding, in his role at Google, contributed to the development of software utilized in the company’s supercomputing data centers. This involvement granted him access to Google’s hardware infrastructure, software platform, as well as the AI models and applications they supported.
Following the alleged data theft, Ding was offered the position of chief technology officer at an early-stage technology firm based in China. During his time in China, Ding engaged in investor meetings to secure funding for the company, with potential investors informed that he held an executive position and owned 20% of the company’s stock.
To conceal his activities in China, Ding purportedly arranged for another employee to use his badge to access his office, creating an illusion that he was still in the United States.
Subsequently, Ding established his own technology company in the AI and machine learning sector. The company reportedly applied to a Chinese startup program, claiming expertise in Google’s computational power platform and expressing intentions to enhance it to align with China’s requirements.
Google conducted a thorough investigation into Ding’s alleged misconduct and promptly alerted the FBI. According to Google spokesperson José Castañeda, the company employs stringent measures to prevent the theft of confidential information. Castañeda expressed gratitude to the FBI for their assistance in safeguarding Google’s data and affirmed continued collaboration with law enforcement authorities.
