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The Justice Department revealed on Wednesday that a former software engineer at Google, Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, has been indicted for allegedly stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the company. Ding, a Chinese national, was apprehended in Newark, California, and faces four counts of federal trade secret theft, with each count carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the charges during an American Bar Association conference in San Francisco, emphasizing the ongoing concerns regarding Chinese economic espionage and the national security risks associated with advancements in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
FBI Director Christopher Wray underscored the severity of the situation, stating, “Today’s charges are the latest illustration of the lengths affiliates of companies based in the People’s Republic of China are willing to go to steal American innovation.” Wray emphasized the detrimental impact of such theft on American jobs and its significant economic and national security repercussions.
Google stated that it had identified the employee’s theft of “numerous documents” and promptly reported the matter to law enforcement authorities.
According to Google spokesman Jose Castaneda, the company has stringent measures to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of its confidential commercial information and trade secrets. Castaneda emphasized that following an investigation, it was determined that the employee had illicitly obtained multiple documents, prompting Google to swiftly involve law enforcement agencies. He expressed gratitude to the FBI for its assistance in safeguarding Google’s information and affirmed the company’s commitment to ongoing collaboration with law enforcement.
In the competitive high-technology landscape, artificial intelligence is a primary arena for rivals, with significant implications for commercial success and security.
The indictment unveiled on Wednesday in the Northern District of California alleges that Linwei Ding, employed by Google since 2019 and entrusted with access to sensitive information regarding the company’s supercomputing data centers, initiated the unauthorized transfer of hundreds of files to a personal Google Cloud account two years ago.
According to prosecutors, shortly after the onset of the theft, Linwei Ding was offered the position of chief technology officer at a fledgling technology company in China. This company highlighted its use of AI technology and enticed Ding with a monthly salary of approximately $14,800, an annual bonus, and company stock.
The indictment outlines that Ding traveled to China, engaged in investor meetings for the company, and endeavored to secure capital for its operations. Additionally, he established and assumed the role of chief executive officer at another startup based in China, focused on training large AI models utilizing supercomputing chips.
Notably, Ding did not disclose his involvement with these Chinese companies to Google, which revealed that he was a junior employee during the investigation. Ding resigned from Google on December 26th.
Shortly after his departure, Google officials discovered that Ding had presented himself as the CEO of one of the Chinese companies at an investor conference in Beijing just three days later. Furthermore, surveillance footage revealed that another employee had been scanning Ding’s access badge at Google’s US facility to make it appear that Ding was in the office while he was in China.
Upon uncovering these discrepancies, Google suspended Ding’s network access, locked his laptop remotely, and reviewed his network activity history. Subsequently, in January, the FBI executed a search warrant at Ding’s residence, seizing his electronic devices. Another warrant was issued to obtain the contents of Ding’s accounts, revealing over 500 unique files of confidential information allegedly stolen from Google.
