MI5 says over 100 UK academics worked on projects funded by China’s spies

MI5 has told UK universities to review any work with the China General Technology Research Institute (CGTRI). It says the institute funds research for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). More than 100 UK-linked academics have worked on its projects, according to MI5.

MI5 published the warning on Wednesday as an Espionage Alert. It is the first time MI5 has independently published such an alert, Michael Holden reported for Reuters.

“MI5 has identified that the primary purpose of CGTRI is to fund academic research that directly improves MSS technical capability for espionage,” the alert says.

AI, cybersecurity and steganography

UK academics have contributed to CGTRI-funded projects on AI, cybersecurity, covert communications systems and steganography, according to MI5. Steganography is the practice of hiding a message inside an ordinary file or object. Its name is sometimes translated as the China Academy of General Technology (CAGT).

Many institutions and academics...

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