Chinese language intelligence operative posing as a Stanford College scholar has been uncovered following an investigation into suspicious approaches made to college students conducting China-related analysis.
The agent, utilizing the alias “Charles Chen,” focused a number of college students over an prolonged interval, primarily girls researching delicate China subjects.
This revelation comes amid rising issues about systematic Chinese language Communist Occasion (CCP) intelligence gathering operations at elite American tutorial establishments, notably these targeted on superior applied sciences like synthetic intelligence the place Stanford maintains international management.
A Stanford scholar recognized solely as “Anna” reported receiving more and more suspicious messages from somebody claiming to be a fellow Stanford scholar named Charles Chen.
What started as seemingly harmless networking requests shortly escalated into persistent and private inquiries.
Chen requested whether or not Anna spoke Mandarin, despatched movies of People who gained fame in China, and provided to pay for her journey to Beijing, even sending screenshots of checking account balances to show he may buy aircraft tickets.
The agent steered Anna enter China for under 24 to 144 hours to keep away from visa scrutiny and urged her to speak completely through the Chinese language model of WeChat, a platform closely monitored by Chinese language authorities.
When Chen commented on considered one of Anna’s social media posts asking her to delete screenshots of their conversations, she contacted authorities.
CCP’s Broader Intelligence Networks at Stanford
The investigation revealed that “Charles Chen” had no precise Stanford affiliation however had been impersonating a scholar for years, barely altering his title and on-line persona whereas concentrating on a number of college students.
Consultants helping within the investigation recognized him as possible an agent of China’s Ministry of State Safety (MSS).
This case represents only one aspect of what consultants describe as a “crowdsourced method” to info gathering at Stanford.
Dubbed “non-traditional assortment,” this technique employs civilians unaffiliated with intelligence businesses to assemble delicate info, notably in AI and robotics analysis.
Based on nameless sources, amongst Stanford’s roughly 1,129 Chinese language worldwide college students, a choose quantity actively report back to the CCP, as mandated by China’s 2017 Nationwide Intelligence Legislation.
Scholarships and Surveillance
The Chinese language Scholarship Council (CSC), which funds an estimated 15% of Chinese language college students at American universities, serves as a main channel for info gathering.
College students receiving these scholarships should often submit “Scenario Stories” to Chinese language diplomatic missions about their analysis actions.
Matthew Turpin, former U.S. Nationwide Safety Council’s Director for China, acknowledged: “The Chinese language authorities spends numerous time amassing knowledge on its abroad college students…
If college students have entry to issues the federal government would love entry to, it’s comparatively simple to succeed in out to a person.
They use carrots and sticks”. In some instances, Chinese language nationals with relations in China face coercion, with relations “introduced in for a chat with the police” to encourage compliance with info requests.
This investigation underscores rising issues about Chinese language intelligence actions at American universities, highlighting the necessity for elevated consciousness whereas guaranteeing respectable Chinese language students aren’t unfairly scrutinized.
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