A "gift" delivered to the door, yet it took away national security.
[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
November 1 marks the seventh anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the Counter-Espionage Law of the People's Republic of China. As China's comprehensive national strength continues to rise, traditional and non-traditional security threats are becoming increasingly intertwined, bringing a growing number of new situations, new problems, and new challenges. Recently, national security authorities disclosed a case involving non-traditional security.
Case review
Since 2020, national security authorities have successively discovered that multiple foreign institutions had set up websites within China and pushed advertisements on various platforms such as Weibo, Tieba, forums, QQ groups, and video websites. They exploited domestic aviation and radio enthusiast communities in China, using tactics such as offering free equipment and sharing aviation information data as bait to widely recruit volunteers to assist them in collecting aviation data and other information on various types of aircraft in China and illegally transmitting it abroad. Mr. Li was one of those deceived.
The other party exploited his interest in photography, indicating that if he was willing to become a volunteer, the company would gift him a device capable of receiving flight data, and he would become a lifetime senior member of the company, able to view information and flight paths of aircraft from various countries around the world. Mr. Li naturally agreed.
[1] It was not until he saw a military aircraft on the website that he realized something was seriously wrong—he might have leaked the country's military secrets. He quickly removed the equipment and called the police. The other party, unable to receive data, soon contacted Mr. Li via email to confirm whether the interface was properly connected.
[2] The police stated that the device was specifically designed to collect and transmit aviation data, capable of tracking all aircraft equipped with the system. When in use, simply placing the antenna by the window could automatically capture data from aircraft within a certain range. When the device was connected to the internet, it could also transmit this data overseas in real time.
[3] Counter-Espionage Law of the People's Republic of China
Article 21 Citizens and organizations that discover acts of espionage shall promptly report them to the national security authorities. Where such reports are made to public security organs or other state organs or organizations, the relevant state organs or organizations shall immediately transfer them to the national security authorities for handling.
Article 27 [5] If an overseas institution, organization, or individual commits, directs, or funds others to commit espionage, or if a domestic institution, organization, or individual colludes with an overseas institution, organization, or individual to commit espionage, and such acts constitute a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued according to law.
[1] The author's perspective
[6] Mr. Li, who was kept in the dark, is by no means an isolated case. Recently, national security authorities, in coordination with regulatory agencies, conducted a special nationwide investigation, seizing hundreds of devices illegally installed by overseas institutions in China. Although these volunteers had no subjective intent to harm national security, they inadvertently assisted overseas companies in collecting China's aviation flight data, posing risks to national security and potentially even reaching the level of illegality.
The author reminds us that we should always remain vigilant when faced with some “gifts” that come to our doorstep. Perhaps our personal hobbies may lead to very serious consequences, especially regarding important military information. As we all know, military aircraft are aircraft that carry out special missions. Once their whereabouts are exposed, it will directly lead to the failure of military missions, with unimaginable consequences. Moreover, in order to avoid detection by national security authorities, these devices even specifically use certain encryption algorithms during transmission, which shows how meticulous these criminals are in their thinking.
In recent years, national security agencies have adhered to a holistic approach to national security, cracking down on a large number of key cases in non-traditional security fields and eliminating many real and potential threats. As citizens, we must also stay alert to the people, events, and things around us, not giving criminals any opportunity, and not jeopardizing national security through momentary negligence.
