Chinese intelligence agencies are using social networks such as LinkedIn to establish contact with German politicians and officials, according to a study by Germany’s internal security service.
The Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BfV) on Sunday released some of the fake social network profiles allegedly used by Chinese intelligence, including academics and consultants claiming to belong to established and reputable-sounding institutions, think-tanks and universities,
Some of the most widely-used profiles show pictures of attractive young women and men who claim to be headhunters or project managers or assistants. The names and profiles released by the BfV include those of Lily Wu and Alex Li from the Center for Sino-Europe Development Studies, Laeticia Chen from the China Center of International Politics and Economy and Eva Han from the China University of Political Science and Law.