US Department of Justice announced the indictment of former Google employee for stealing AI related trade secrets. The press release states:
A federal grand jury indicted Linwei Ding, aka Leon Ding,
charging him with four counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an
alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related
to artificial intelligence (AI) technology. . . .
According to the indictment, returned on March 5 and unsealed
earlier today, Ding, 38, a national of the People’s Republic of China and
resident of Newark, California, transferred sensitive Google trade secrets and
other confidential information from Google’s network to his personal account
while secretly affiliating himself with PRC-based companies in the AI industry.
Ding was arrested earlier this morning in Newark.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate the theft
of artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies that could put our
national security at risk,” said Attorney General Garland. “In this case, we
allege the defendant stole artificial
intelligence-related trade secrets from Google while secretly
working for two companies based in China. We will fiercely protect sensitive
technologies developed in America from falling into the hands of those who
should not have them.”
. . . “In the one year since its inception, the Disruptive
Technology Strike Force has been relentless in protecting advanced U.S.
technologies, like artificial intelligence, from malign actors,” said Assistant
Secretary Matthew S. Axelrod of the Commerce Department’s Office for Export
Enforcement. “Let today’s announcement serve as further warning – those who
would steal sensitive U.S. technology risk finding themselves on the wrong end
of a criminal indictment.”
According to court documents, the technology Ding allegedly
stole involves the building blocks of Google’s advanced supercomputing data
centers, which are designed to support machine learning workloads used to train
and host large AI models. According to the indictment, large AI models are AI
applications capable of understanding nuanced language and generating
intelligent responses to prompts, tasks, or queries. The indictment describes
how Google developed both proprietary hardware and software to facilitate the
machine learning process powered by its supercomputing data centers. With
respect to hardware, Google uses advanced computer chips with the extraordinary
processing power required to facilitate machine learning and run AI
applications. With respect to software, Google deploys several layers of
software, referred to in the indictment as the “software platform,” to
orchestrate machine learning workloads efficiently. For example, one component
of the software platform is the Cluster Management System (CMS), which
functions as the “brain” of Google’s supercomputing data centers. The CMS
organizes, prioritizes, and assigns tasks to the hardware infrastructure,
allowing the advanced chips to function efficiently when executing machine
learning workloads or hosting AI applications.
According to the indictment, Google hired Ding as a software
engineer in 2019. Ding’s responsibilities included developing the software
deployed in Google’s supercomputing data centers. In connection with his
employment, Ding was granted access to Goggle’s confidential information
related to the hardware infrastructure, the software platform, and the AI
models and applications they supported. The indictment alleges that on May 21,
2022, Ding began secretly uploading trade secrets that were stored in Google’s
network by copying the information into a personal Google Cloud account.
According to the indictment, Ding continued periodic uploads until May 2, 2023,
by which time Ding allegedly uploaded more than 500 unique files containing
confidential information.
In addition, the indictment alleges that Ding secretly
affiliated himself with two PRC-based technology companies. According to the
indictment, on or about June 13, 2022, Ding received several emails from the
CEO of an early-stage technology company based in the PRC indicating Ding had
been offered the position of Chief Technology Officer for the company. Ding
allegedly traveled to the PRC on Oct. 29, 2022, and remained there until March
25, 2023, during which time he participated in investor meetings to raise
capital for the new company. The indictment alleges potential investors were
told Ding was the new company’s Chief Technology Officer and that Ding owned
20% of the company’s stock.
According to the indictment, unbeknownst to Google, by no
later than May 30, 2023, Ding had founded his own technology company in the AI
and machine learning industry and was acting as the company’s CEO. Ding’s
company touted the development of a software platform designed to accelerate
machine learning workloads, including training large AI models. As alleged in
the indictment, Ding applied to a PRC-based startup incubation program and
traveled to Beijing, to present his company at an investor conference on Nov.
24, 2023. As set forth in the indictment, a document related to Ding’s startup
company stated, “we have experience with Google's ten-thousand-card
computational power platform; we just need to replicate and upgrade it - and
then further develop a computational power platform suited to China's national
conditions.”
The indictment alleges Ding’s conduct violated his employment
agreement as well as a separate code of conduct that Ding signed when he became
a Google employee. Further, the indictment describes measures that Ding
allegedly took to conceal his theft of the trade secrets. For example, he
allegedly copied data from Google source files into the Apple Notes application
on his Google-issued MacBook laptop. By then converting the Apple Notes into
PDF files and uploading them from the Google network into as separate account,
Ding allegedly evaded detection by Google’s data loss prevention systems.
Likewise, the indictment describes how in December 2023 Ding allegedly
permitted another Google employee to use his Google-issued access badge to scan
into the entrance of a Google building – making it appear he was working from
his U.S. Google office when, in fact, he was in the PRC.
Ding is charged with four counts of theft of trade secrets.
If convicted, Ding faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a
$250,000 fine for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any
sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory
factors.
The FBI and Commerce Department are investigating the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of
California and Justice Department National Security Division’s
Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.
Today’s action was coordinated through the Justice and
Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive
Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led
by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors,
protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by
authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of
law.
No comments:
Post a Comment