China’s national security ‘under threat as foreign spies target nation’s young internet users’
Recent Guangdong anti-espionage crackdown part of campaign to stop unnamed international agents recruiting mainlanders on online forums, social media networks and job websites
Young Chinese people surfing on the internet have become the target of foreign intelligence agencies, which poses an increased threat to the nation’s security, mainland media reports.
A recent anti-espionage crackdown in Guangdong – made public by security officials as part of a nationwide security campaign – found Chinese people using the internet, mostly young people including university students, were being targeted by foreign intelligence agents, news portal Chinanews.com said.
The agents, some of whom were beautiful women and others who claimed to be military enthusiasts or job recruiters, were all are active on online forums, social media networks and job websites.
The young netizens were invited to do part-time jobs or write columns in return for high pay before being encouraged to become spies, the report said.
In one recent case, two migrant workers in Guangzhou, a woman aged 26 and a man aged 40, were detained after being charged with “illegally spying that provided state secrets to foreign agencies”, the report said, citing documents released by national security authorities in Guangdong.
