MI5 has issued an urgent warning to UK lawmakers, revealing that Chinese intelligence operatives are utilizing LinkedIn and recruitment platforms to target them for information gathering and long-term relationships. The warning, part of a new MI5 ‘espionage alert,’ has been communicated to House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who emphasized the targeted and widespread nature of the activity.
The MI5 alert cited LinkedIn profiles of two women, Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen, and said other similar recruiters’ profiles were acting as fronts for espionage. Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis said that apart from parliamentary staff, others including economists, think tank consultants and government officials have been similarly targeted. Jarvis said the government is rolling out a series of measures to tackle the risk, including investing £170 million ($224 million) to renew encrypted technology used by civil servants to safeguard sensitive work.
Opposition parties say authorities are not doing enough and are too wary of jeopardizing trade ties with China.