China Warns of Rising ‘Data Crime’ via Espionage Methods

China’s National Security Ministry has issued a stark public warning about the growing threat of “data crime,” detailing four specific methods used by foreign intelligence agencies to steal sensitive information from Chinese citizens and organizations. The alert, published on May 30, 2026, via the ministry’s official WeChat account and reported by Xinhua News Agency, underscores Beijing’s escalating efforts to safeguard national data in an era of rapid technological change.

The Four Methods: Buy, Hire, Lure, Deceive

According to the ministry, state security agencies have identified that foreign intelligence operatives commonly employ four tactics—purchasing (买), hiring (聘), luring (诱), and deceiving (骗)—to illicitly obtain data that poses a serious threat to national security.

• Purchase (买): Foreign entities pay domestic personnel for consultations or purchase data packages outright to acquire sensitive industry information.
• Hiring (聘): Operatives recruit aviation, maritime, and other enthusiasts as “volunteers,” installing specialized equipment in targeted areas to illegally collect signal data from aviation, shipping, high-speed rail, and meteorological sectors.
• Luring (诱): Agent companies promote technology and equipment to domestic industries, inducing the upload of key data under the guise of legitimate business.
• Deceiving (骗): Individuals are tricked with small financial incentives into conducting precise positioning, taking photographs, and uploading tagged sensitive geographic coordinates.

Legal Framework and Criminal Penalties

The warning comes amid China’s comprehensive data security legal framework, which has been rapidly expanding since 2021. The ministry referenced the Data Security Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Criminal Law, which together establish a robust legal basis for prosecuting data-related offenses.

As reported by CCTV via CQNews, the ministry outlined several criminal charges applicable to data crimes, including:

• Espionage for providing data to known spy organizations
• Illegally providing state secrets or intelligence to foreign entities for cross-border data transfers involving classified information
• Illegally providing trade secrets for cross-border data transfers involving commercial secrets
• Illegal acquisition of state secrets for holding or transmitting classified domestic data
• Illegal use of surveillance equipment for employing listening or recording devices in data collection
• Illegal intrusion into computer information systems for hacking to obtain data
• Infringement of citizens’ personal information for selling or providing personal data without authorization

Broader National Security Campaign

The May 30 warning is part of a broader public awareness campaign by the National Security Ministry. Just two days earlier, on May 28, the ministry published a separate alert about small meteorological detection devices being used to transmit real-time weather data and precise geographic information to overseas platforms, as Global Times reported.

In that article, the ministry disclosed two specific cases: a man surnamed Wang who set up a weather observation station on his residential building rooftop near a militarily sensitive area, and a man surnamed Liu who operated a meteorological data collection device through a mobile app developed by an overseas organization. Both cases resulted in penalties under regulations jointly issued by the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of State Security, and the National Administration of State Secrets Protection.

Implications and Forward Look

The warning reflects the growing sophistication of data collection methods in the AI and IoT era, where civilian technologies can be repurposed for intelligence gathering. The ministry’s emphasis on public reporting channels—including the 12339 hotline, the online platform at www.12339.gov.cn, and its WeChat account—signals a strategy of mass mobilization for national security surveillance.

China’s data security legal framework continues to expand, with implications for domestic companies, foreign businesses operating in China, and international data flows. The Data Security Law, effective since September 2021, establishes a data security review system, data classification protocols, and export controls for important data. The Personal Information Protection Law and Cybersecurity Law further regulate data processing and network security.

As the National Security Ministry stated: “State security agencies firmly fulfill the sacred mission entrusted by the Party and the people, and work with relevant departments to lawfully and severely crack down on foreign forces carrying out cyber attacks, data theft, and other illegal and criminal activities that endanger critical information infrastructure, resolutely building a strong data security barrier.”

The ministry urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity, emphasizing that data security is a shared national responsibility in an increasingly interconnected world.