The Big Tech Spy Hunt

Economic espionage is on the rise in countries like China, Russia, Iran, and South Korea.

Written by Anders Corr for The Epoch Times

(emphasis ours),

Both the United States and South Korea have tightened up on technology leaks

Both countries have large tech industries that they must protect. The Netherlands and the United States are the two countries that have the most advanced technology in the small and powerful computer chip market, which is used by the military and for economic applications all over the world.

Airshow China 2021, the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition also known as Airshow China 2020, will be held in Zhuhai (South China) on September 29, 2021. (Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

China, Russia and Iran are among the countries that steal these technologies. They could use these technologies against the United States and its allies.

On May 16,

Department of Justice

(DOJ) revealed

Five related cases were investigated by the new 'Disruptive Technologies Strike Force'.

In two of these cases, both in California include the theft of source codes by Chinese nationals to be delivered to Chinese competitors.

On May 5, a senior engineer in technology was arrested for the alleged theft of "metrology software that is used to manufacture'smart,' automotive manufacturing equipment."

In a press statement, the DOJ stated. The technology could be used to build military aircraft and nuclear submarines in China.

The second case is

A Chinese national and former Apple Engineer who allegedly stole "thousands" of documents that contained the source code to Apple's autonomous car technology.

According to the DOJ

In 2018, he fled back to China on the night that FBI agents discovered the documents in his home. The FBI has not yet explained why they did not arrest the suspect immediately and why it took so long to file charges.

The DOJ reported that a third case in New York involved a 'Chinese procuring network' sanctioned to supply Iran with materials for weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. A Chinese national is accused of using a front company in order to provide Iran with graphite used for rocket nozzles, reentry vehicles and nose cones on intercontinental missiles. He is still at large in China.

In a fourth case, French officials arrested a Greek citizen for alleged links with Russian intelligence. The suspect was accused of acquiring 10 types of controlled technology to illegally export to Russia.

Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, David Newman, principal deputy assistant assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice for National Security, Michael Driscoll, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, and David Sundberg, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, speak during a DOJ Press Conference announcing the arrests and charges of multiple individuals alleged working in connection with the Chinese regime at the U. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

According to U.S. attorney Breon Peace, 'As claimed, while ostensibly working as a contractor for NATO or other allies, the defendant and Aratos Group engaged in double dealing, fueling Russia's war efforts and helping them develop next-generation weaponry'.

Aratos Group has defense and technology firms in Greece and the Netherlands. These countries are NATO members and can import certain controlled U.S. tech. According to the DOJ, Aratos allegedly has been smuggling tech into Russia since 2017. This technology can be used for military applications such as quantum cryptography, nuclear weapons testing and tactical battlefield equipment by Russian nuclear and quanta research facilities and intelligence agencies.

In a fifth case, two other Russian nationals have been arrested in Arizona for allegedly liars and for using front companies and bank accounts abroad to try to ship aircraft parts that are restricted to export to sanctioned Russian airlines.

China has sought out similar technologies elsewhere as the United States increased pressure on economic spying. In

South Korea

According to the Financial Times, leaked core technologies, such as semiconductors, display technology, and automotive, have increased from three in 2017 to ten in 2021. Three such leaks have already occurred in the first quarter 2023 from major automotive, semiconductor, and display companies. In an effort to poach talent, headhunters from China use front companies and loiter outside South Korean chip factories.

Salary offers are three to four times the previous income.

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