Crackdown on illegal data collection

The Ministry of State Security warned this week against the illegal collection of sensitive data from classified sites using wind measurement towers and related facilities.

On its WeChat account, the ministry said that in recent years, certain companies with backgrounds linked to foreign espionage and intelligence agencies have covertly infiltrated the vicinity of classified sites in China under the guise of constructing wind measurement towers, using them to illegally collect sensitive data and then transmitting the information abroad.

Wind measurement towers are often equipped with monitoring devices such as anemometers, wind vanes, thermometers and barometers that are used to monitor the atmosphere and make meteorological observations.

In one case, residents of a coastal city reported to national security agencies that a company had illicitly erected a wind measurement tower near a classified facility. After a prompt technical inspection, investigators found that in addition to collecting meteorological data, the tower’s equipment also had the capability to analyze and transmit related data. They concluded that if the data was leaked abroad, it could pose risks to national security.

In another case, following a report from workers at a research base, national security officers inspected a wind measurement tower near the base, revealing that the tower had not been legally registered, had complex data transmission routes and exhibited clear security risks. The tower was dismantled in accordance with the law.

To safeguard meteorological data security, the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of State Security and the National Administration of State Secrets Protection jointly issued the Regulations on Foreign-related Meteorological Detection and Data Management in 2022.

The regulations stipulate that foreign-related meteorological detection stations are not allowed to be located near national defense and military facilities, areas not open to the public, key construction zones and other areas involving national security.

Violations of national security and confidentiality laws, regulations, rules and relevant provisions in foreign-related meteorological detection and data management activities will be dealt with by national security and confidentiality departments. People found to have committed related crimes will be held liable.

On Oct 31, the Ministry of State Security’s WeChat account said national security agencies, in conjunction with meteorological and confidentiality departments, conducted a special campaign last year on rectifying foreign-related meteorological detection activities nationwide. They investigated more than 10 foreign meteorological equipment agents and inspected more than 3,000 foreign-related meteorological sites.

The authorities also discovered hundreds of illegal foreign-related meteorological detection sites were transmitting meteorological data abroad in real-time. The sites were distributed across more than 20 Chinese provinces.

Some of the illegal sites even received direct funding from foreign governments, with some observation points established near sensitive locations such as military units and defense companies, it said. Yang Zekun, China Daily