China’s Transactions with Other Countries Raise Concerns over Data Collection and Sovereignty, says British Intelligence Chief
China’s transactions with other countries have raised alarm bells as it allows Beijing to collect sensitive data on citizens and national projects of other nations, jeopardizing their sovereignty and making them vulnerable to Chinese influence. The head of the British Foreign Intelligence Service, Mi6, Richard Moore, expressed these concerns.
Source: British Foreign Intelligence Service Mi6 Richard Moore
According to Moore, countries that agree to such transactions are at risk of falling into a “trap of data”. He highlighted instances when China sold COVID-19 vaccines to countries across the globe, imposing conditions that required the recipient nations to share their vaccination data with Beijing. Moore stated that such conditions should be a cause for concern in any transaction.
Mi6 has now shifted its focus predominantly towards China, surpassing any other country. This strategic shift is driven by China’s increasing global significance and the necessity to comprehend the intentions and capabilities of the Chinese government.
Moore also pointed out that China possesses an advantage over the UK, enabling it to acquire “tremendous volumes of data” crucial for training machine learning tools.
The Mi6 chief further explained that China has been expanding its vast data sets in the domestic market and is also acquiring data from abroad without regards to data confidentiality. Moore emphasized that Mi6 would increasingly engage in gathering information on how hostile states utilize artificial intelligence (AI) for “unethical purposes”.