Canadian expert David Vigneault warns of China’s ‘industrial-strength’ attempts to steal new technologies

Hostile spy agencies are now as focused on infiltrating western universities and companies as they are on doing so to governments, according to the former head of Canada’s intelligence service.

David Vigneault warned that a recent “industrial-scale” attempt by China to steal new technologies showed the need for increased vigilance from academics.

"The frontline has moved, from being focused on government information to private sector innovation, research innovation and universities,” he told the Guardian in his first interview since leaving the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which is part of the “Five Eyes” intelligence sharing alliance with the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Vigneault said China’s leadership had been on a long programme of military regeneration after being horrified by how swiftly the US army took over Iraq in 2003.

Beijing decided to invest in “asymmetric capabilities” and steal as much technical knowledge as possible from the west.

  • Zaktor@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    10·
    3 days ago

    He dismissed criticism from some researchers that the rules were too restrictive and could stymie academic excellence and openness. “You cannot imagine that you work in isolation. You’re not living on an island and doing pure research for the good of humanity,” he said.

    Get fucked guy. Universities are not component organizations of the national security state. It’s not anywhere in their motivation to keep certain countries from learning things. If you want to do research that should be kept secret, hire a private company or stand up your own research institution designed for that purposes, don’t try to coopt universities into being an arm of the security state.

    • hcf@sh.itjust.works
      31·
      3 days ago

      Totally agree with you.

      I think it’s a losing battle to argue that universities shouldn’t have some basic protections in place for unpublished/proprietary/underdeveloped research*, but this guy implicitly takes that way too far.

      War research—if it should exist at all—should be done at war colleges. The U.S. has the Naval War College, the Army War College, the Air Force University, USMC War College, and the National War College. Canada has three RMC campuses and the CFC.

      *Obviously assuming it’s not publicly funded research, else the Uni should refund grant monies for programs that don’t publish their findings.