MI5 Warns Lawmakers That Chinese Spies Are Trying to Reach Them via LinkedIn

According to Associated Press, Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5 warned lawmakers that Chinese spies are actively reaching out to recruit and cultivate them via headhunters or cover companies. The alert states that Chinese nationals are “using LinkedIn profiles to conduct outreach at scale” on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security. It named two women, Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen, and noted that other similar recruiters’ profiles are acting as fronts for espionage.

Home Office Minister Dan Jarvis said that apart from parliamentary staff, economists, think tank consultants and government officials have been targeted as well. The government is rolling out measures to tackle the risk, including investing 170 million pounds to renew encrypted technology used by civil servants. MI5 has warned of a broader pattern of espionage activity, and authorities say they will not tolerate foreign interference in the U.K. While critics have questioned prosecutions in recent years, the security alert underscores ongoing concerns about Beijing-backed influence operations.