The chief legal counsel of a prominent British free speech organisation has revealed he believes he was targeted by Chinese intelligence operatives posing as technology researchers. Bryn Harris of the Free Speech Union (FSU) grew suspicious after receiving a series of overly flattering emails from individuals with Chinese names claiming expertise in complex computer and artificial intelligence fields.
The Suspicious Approach
Mr Harris told The Times that the first red flag was the communication style. The emails, while linguistically flawless, felt artificially generated and were sent from personal Gmail accounts despite the senders claiming affiliations with major tech firms like IBM and Google. "They were extremely obsequious in the way that they talked to me, perhaps trying to get to me in some way," Harris stated. "It just didn't feel right."
He suspects he was singled out due to the FSU's advocacy work, specifically its submissions to the government on higher education legislation designed to bolster free speech protections at universities. The initial contact came in June from a researcher calling herself Lala Chen, followed by approaches from 'Ailin' in July and 'Emily' in October.
Unmasking the Operation
Seeking clarity, Harris contacted UKCT, a UK-China transparency charity, which investigated the trio. Their findings were damning. Despite claiming to be based in the United States, the investigators concluded the individuals were actually operating from Asia. The profiles used were fabrications; one featured a photograph of a famous Korean actress, while another used an avatar sourced from a Facebook dating service.
Harris's experience is not an isolated incident but part of a broader, alarming trend identified by British security services. The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), a branch of MI5, has issued a stark alert. It warns that foreign intelligence services, predominantly China's, are daily posting hundreds of thousands of bogus job adverts on online platforms to ensnare civil servants, military personnel, academics, and think-tank staff.
MI5's Warning: An Evolving Threat
This represents a significant escalation from previous tactics, such as targeting officials on LinkedIn. Now, sophisticated fake recruitment consultancies and spoofed company websites are being established. The bait is often a lucrative payment—sometimes up to £2,000—for a single report on topics like foreign policy, defence, or government insight.
MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum had hinted at this threat in a speech last October, cautioning professionals to be wary of job offers in their sector that seem "too good to be true." The NPSA alert emphasises that an individual's knowledge and contacts are valuable pieces of a larger intelligence puzzle for hostile states.
Key warning signs highlighted by security experts include:
- Vague job titles like 'geopolitical analyst' or 'international affairs consultant'.
- The use of buzzwords such as 'unique insights' and 'hot topics'.
- Requests for payment via unconventional methods like cryptocurrency.
- Eventual invitations to travel to non-Western countries for meetings, where individuals can be pressured into espionage.
Bryn Harris, while alert from the start, has gone public with his experience to raise awareness among other professionals. "I wanted to raise further awareness so that other professionals would be wary of similar approaches and job offers," he said. The Free Speech Union was approached by the Daily Mail for comment on the incident.
