China uses LinkedIn to access US secrets

China accused of using LinkedIn to access US classified information. Photo: AP

In an interview with Reuters, Evanina said intelligence and law enforcement officials had told LinkedIn, which is owned by Microsoft Corp, about China's "super aggressive" efforts against the site.

The Chinese campaign involved contacting thousands of LinkedIn members at once, Evanina said, but he declined to say how many fake accounts US intelligence had uncovered, how many Americans might have been contacted, and how successful China was in recruiting.

Mr. William Evania, Director of the US National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Photo: Getty

German and British authorities have previously warned their citizens that Beijing is using LinkedIn to try to recruit them as spies.

However, this is the first time a US official has publicly discussed the challenge in the US, and suggested that the problem is more serious than before.

Mr. Evanina recommended that LinkedIn consider the responses of Twitter, Google and Facebook, which have fake accounts allegedly linked to Russian and Iranian intelligence agencies.

It is highly unusual for a senior US intelligence official to single out a US company and publicly suggest it should take action. LinkedIn boasts 562 million users in more than 200 counties and territories, including 149 million in the US.

LinkedIn's director of trust and safety, Paul Rockwell, confirmed the company has been in discussions with US law enforcement agencies about Chinese espionage efforts.

Earlier this month, LinkedIn said it had taken down about 40 fake accounts that were attempting to communicate with LinkedIn members affiliated with unspecified political organizations. Rockwell did not say whether the accounts were Chinese.

For its part, China has denied the accusations. A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said: “We do not know where the evidence came from for the US officials to draw such conclusions. What they said is completely absurd and has ulterior motives.”