- A US academic has revealed the existence of 2.4-million-person database he says was compiled by a Chinese company known to supply intelligence, military, and security agencies. The researcher alleges the purpose of the database is enabling influence operations to be conducted against prominent and influential people outside China.
- The database includes details of politicians, diplomats, activists, academics, media figures, entrepreneurs, military officers and government employees.
- This database is important, because it shows that China has a well-organised effort to give its influence operations the information they need to be efficient. Or ruthless.
- It would be more of a surprise if China did not have such a database and ignored the chance to compile it using the data so many of us carelessly scatter across the internet each day, or which is published in the public interest.
– Simon Sharwood | September 15, 2020
