A former employee of Google faces charges for alleged theft of proprietary information related to artificial intelligence technology. Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, is accused of illicitly obtaining confidential data while employed at Google and collaborating with two Chinese firms in the AI sector.
The charges against Ding include four counts of trade secret theft, each carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the U.S. government’s commitment to safeguarding advanced technologies, stating that such theft could jeopardize national security.
Ding, a 38-year-old Chinese citizen residing in California, is accused of transferring over 500 confidential files from Google’s systems to his personal account over a one-year period starting in 2022. These files reportedly contained proprietary information regarding the technology underpinning Google’s advanced data center infrastructure.
According to prosecutors, Ding, who was involved in developing software for Google’s supercomputing data centers, later assumed a role as chief technology officer at a Chinese technology company. During this time, he allegedly engaged in activities aimed at concealing his actions, including deceiving his whereabouts by remotely accessing his office in the United States while physically in China.
Subsequently, Ding established his own technology firm specializing in AI and machine learning. Prosecutors assert that the company sought to replicate and enhance Google’s computational power platform, tailored to the Chinese market.
Google conducted an internal investigation upon discovering Ding’s alleged misconduct and promptly notified law enforcement authorities. The company expressed gratitude to the FBI for its assistance in safeguarding its proprietary information and pledged continued cooperation with ongoing investigations.
The attorney representing Ding has not been identified at this time.
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