A former Google software engineer is facing new charges of economic spying and theft of trade secrets in the US. In a case that aligns with US efforts to counter Chinese technology theft, Linwei Ding (who was initially indicted in March) now faces seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets, according to a revised indictment announced by the US Justice Department (DOJ), a report claims.
The DOJ alleges that Ding stole confidential information to benefit China’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry. This comes after a former Federal Reserve advisor was recently arrested on similar charges which highlights the US’ increased efforts to protect its technology from espionage.
What Google said about the spying charges
A Google spokesperson noted that Ding acted independently and that the company promptly took action by referring the case to law enforcement upon discovering the issue.
In an emailed statement to Bloomberg, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said: “We have strict safeguards to prevent the theft of our confidential commercial information and trade secrets. We are grateful to the FBI for helping protect our information and will continue cooperating with them closely.”
US DOJ’s allegations against the ex-Google engineer
Leon Ding, a Chinese national joined Google in 2019. The DOJ has accused Ding of stealing technology related to the company’s proprietary chip, which is used to train AI models like Gemini, along with graphical processing units. However, he pleaded not guilty to the initial charges in March.
According to the indictment (seen by Bloomberg), Ding founded a startup in China in 2023 and applied to a Shanghai-based “talent program” that provides financial incentives to individuals who bring technical expertise back to China after conducting research and development abroad.
In his application, Ding described a product designed to “help China achieve computing power infrastructure capabilities on par with the international level.”
As cited by US authorities, a memo from his startup indicates plans to provide products and services to Chinese state agencies and universities.
If convicted, Ding can face up to 15 years in prison for each count of economic espionage and up to 10 years for each charge of trade secret theft, prosecutors claimed.
