UK Presses LinkedIn to Curb Chinese Espionage After MI5 Uncovers Covert Spy Profiles

The UK government is in direct talks with LinkedIn to strengthen platform safeguards against Chinese intelligence activity targeting British institutions, following a rare public espionage alert issued by domestic security agency MI5.

The warning came after investigators uncovered two LinkedIn accounts--operated under the aliases Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen--allegedly linked to the Chinese intelligence services. 

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The accounts, disguised as corporate recruiters, had been engaging in broad outreach across UK political and academic circles, including think tanks and policy researchers. 

MI5 described the effort as a “covert and calculated” campaign aimed at obtaining insider access to British policymaking and security structures.

Both profiles have since been removed, and LinkedIn confirmed it had taken enforcement action. A spokesperson said: “Creating a fake account or misrepresenting your identity is a clear violation of our terms of service. We remain focused on detecting state-sponsored abuse.”

Government officials have confirmed that the National Protective Security Authority, a division within the UK intelligence framework, is now engaging social media companies, including LinkedIn, to explore preventive mechanisms that would make their platforms less vulnerable to state-backed espionage and foreign influence campaigns.

As part of a wider response, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has invited MPs to attend a cybersecurity and resilience briefing next week led by GCHQ Director Anne Keast-Butler and National Cyber Security Centre CEO Richard Horne. 

The move underscores growing concern in Westminster over digital infiltration tactics targeting Parliament and adjacent institutions.

The MI5 alert highlighted that foreign operatives often initiate contact through public platforms like LinkedIn before attempting to migrate conversations to encrypted messaging apps. 

Intelligence officials said the targets of such campaigns are increasingly spread across sectors—from geopolitical analysts to legal professionals involved in policy advocacy.

One such target, Bryn Harris, chief legal counsel at the Free Speech Union (FSU), reported receiving several tailored messages from suspicious Gmail accounts purporting to be from major tech firms. 

These messages expressed interest in his academic work and offered partnerships or advisory roles, often suggesting a switch to WhatsApp for further discussion. A private assessment later traced the senders to the Asia-Pacific region, despite their claims of being US-based.

The outreach to Harris followed high-profile tensions around academic freedom in UK universities, including the case of UCL professor Michelle Shipworth, who accused her university of censoring a course critical of China to protect commercial ties. Her claims triggered an internal investigation and wider scrutiny of Chinese influence in British higher education.

The MI5 warning was not prompted by a single incident, but rather by the sheer scale of outreach attempts linked to these profiles, and a growing pattern of Chinese-linked actors using LinkedIn and email to cultivate soft access to UK intelligence targets. 

The agency framed the alert as a preemptive effort to encourage individuals in sensitive positions to critically assess their online engagements.