The intelligence chiefs from the Five Eyes countries came together on Tuesday to accuse China of intellectual property theft and using artificial intelligence for hacking and spying against them. It is a rare joint statement by the Allies, and the accusation of Chinese activities comes as the world grapples with a rise in digital threats and the need to protect intellectual property rights.
The heads of security agencies from the United States, Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – known as the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network – commented following meetings with private companies in the U.S. innovation hub Silicon Valley. The intelligence chiefs urged private businesses to work with them to prevent theft by nation-state-backed hackers and warned that A.I. tools could be used to amplify such misconduct.
They also released a set of five principles businesses should embrace to protect themselves from cybercriminals and specifically warned against working with Chinese cybercriminals. The Five Eyes nations – including the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark – are part of an alliance that began during World War II to share intelligence and code-breaking between the United States and the U.K. after the two won the war. The alliance was expanded in 1949 to include Australia and Canada and in 1955 to include New Zealand. Other countries, referred to as “third-party partners,” share information with the Five Eyes but are not alliance members.
During the discussion at Stanford University, Director of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization Mike Burgess said that the Chinese government’s behavior goes well beyond traditional espionage. He cited a recent case in which his department uncovered a plot by the Chinese to infiltrate an esteemed research institution and said similar incidents happen daily across the globe.
FBI Director Christopher Wray also spoke out, calling the situation “unprecedented.” He added that the Chinese government could use stolen American A.I. technology to take its hacking program by a country mile and make it even more effective.
Wray’s remarks are the latest sign of growing resentment towards China by numerous governments, particularly over allegations that Beijing steals I.P. and coerces technology transfer as part of its trade practices. This latest stance by the Five Eyes allies marks the first time they have publicly united to raise concerns about this issue, and it sends a clear message that they intend to closely monitor and challenge any practices they view as unfair or predatory on the global stage.
The Five Eyes allies have a unique and close relationship in sharing information about foreign adversaries, including their citizens. This arrangement has its roots in the 1940s Atlantic Charter, which laid out Allied goals for the world after World War II. The U.S. and the U.K. began sharing intelligence shortly after and, in 1943, formed a secret treaty known as the BRUSA Agreement. In 1949, it was formalized as the UKUSA Agreement, and in 1955, the additions of Australia and New Zealand made the current tight-knit group of Five Eyes allies.