FBI Says American Universities Infiltrated by Spies 418
An anonymous reader writes, using various bits of the article: "While most international students, researchers and professors come to the U.S. for legitimate reasons, universities are an 'ideal place' for foreign intelligence services 'to find recruits, propose and nurture ideas, learn and even steal research data, or place trainees,' according to a 2011 FBI report. Tretyakov was quoted as saying, 'We often targeted academics because their job was to share knowledge and information by teaching it to others, and this made them less guarded than, say, UN diplomats.' China has 'lots of students who either are forced to or volunteer to collect information,' he said. 'I've heard it said, "If it wanted to steal a beach, Russia would send a forklift. China would send a thousand people who would pick up a grain of sand at a time."' China also has more than 3,000 front companies in the U.S. 'for the sole purpose of acquiring our technology,' said former CIA officer S. Eugene Poteat."
Re:underestimated and decades late (Score:3, Informative)
Almost as if US didn't have far more front companies, students in exchange programs and "N"GOs. for stealing from other nations. This is a norm, and intelligence war for tech has been ongoing for centuries at the very least.
Re:Fifth columnist journalisim (Score:5, Informative)
I'd note that the 3k companies claim came not from the CIA, but from a guy who's retired from the CIA in the 90s, and was previously involved in - get this - the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Irrelevant example (Score:5, Informative)
Incidentally, Kim Philby maintained that he did not spy on Britain for the Soviet Union; he spied on the USA on behalf of both. Perhaps bizarrely to American ideas, the Cambridge group seem to have seen themselves as patriots, helping to protect Britain against American domination. Their motivation was completely different from the Chinese spies in the USA, and the two cases are in no way comparable.
Re:The japanese (Score:5, Informative)
You're 50+ years behind the times.
We Germans would put our towels down to mark our spot and then go for breakfast.
Re:So it begins (Score:5, Informative)
Educated is dangerous for two reasons.
1 - the more educated you are the more capable of making BOMBS you are. This educated people who have degrees in science are dangerous.
2 - the more educated you are the greater resistance to the propaganda bullshit that we need the TSA, Homeland security and the PATRIOT ACT. And that is the most dangerous of them all. Someone that can see through bullshit and think for themselves.
WE need to round these people up and put them in concentration camps to keep society safe.
Re:So it begins (Score:4, Informative)
The simple facts:
China has more people than the USA
China has more raw materiel than the USA
China has more money than the USA
China has more academics than the USA
This is a no win situation, unless you are China
Re:So it begins (Score:2, Informative)
"Its" is the proper possessive case, or it simply means plural of "it".
So much for the academics..
Re:So it begins (Score:5, Informative)
The war on the academic sector. One more nail in our coffin.
You speak as if this is ridiculous, unprecedented, or illogical. But the Soviets did this for years, poking around in colleges looking for kids ripe for their cause. Take youthful rebellion, gather those youths in a place where that rebellion is nurtured and encouraged, and it's a perfect recipe to recruit. And we're talking about people that are young enough to be angry but not old enough to be worldly or wise, smart and capable and yet putty in the hands of those that know what they're doing. Perfect place to find passionate recruits ready to fight "the system".