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Forget the trench coat, secret handshake and mysterious briefcase.
An alleged Chinese spying network apparently preferred LinkedIn.
Espionage has entered the corporate era. Somewhere, James Bond is being asked to endorse someone’s stakeholder-management skills.
An ABC investigation reports that two accounts linked to suspected Chinese intelligence operatives built connections with more than 100 people linked to Australia, including officials in government, policing and trade.
The accounts allegedly posed as think-tank representatives offering paid consultancy work.
According to the reporting, 58 connections received approaches.
That distinction matters: appearing in a connection list is not proof that someone supplied information, or did anything wrong.
Former Queensland premier Steven Miles was connected to one account while deputy premier. The ABC says it has seen no messages between them and understands he did not respond to any message.
The AFP alleges China’s Ministry of State Security was behind the operation. The Chinese Embassy rejects the allegations.
So, what makes this significant?
A professional approach can look perfectly ordinary: interesting research, flexible hours, competitive pay.
The concern is what follows: requests for contacts, access or increasingly sensitive information.
The recruitment funnel, apparently, now runs from “We admire your expertise” to “Who do you know in government?”
My view? Officials need practical training that reflects how people actually work.
A warning about suspicious strangers is less useful when the stranger has a polished profile and three mutual connections.
But we also need proportion. Legitimate international research and business relationships matter. Suspicion should follow evidence and conduct, rather than someone’s ethnicity.
The lesson is to check who is paying, what they want and whether the work belongs anywhere near your official responsibilities.
Because “exciting consultancy opportunity” should mean a new income stream.
Not becoming the subject of a national-security briefing.
And if your next LinkedIn endorsement is for “discretion under interrogation”, perhaps reconsider that connection.
Craig Hill is a Brisbane-based author, journalist, teacher, business consultant and social justice campaigner. He is the General Manager of the Australian Book and Language Studio.
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