A former Apple engineer stole autonomous driving secrets and sold them to China, the DoJ...

[Alfonso Maruccia]

What just happened? The US Department of Justice is announcing its new Disruptive Technology Strike Force initiative, with five cases regarding export and trade secrets violations. One of those cases is about Apple's secretive autonomous vehicle, which was seemingly spied on by a former employee working for China's very active espionage machine.

Software engineer Wang Weibao was hired by Apple in 2016 to work on Project Titan, Cupertino's electric self-driving car that has been a work-in-progress tech for a decade now. The developer spent 18 months in Apple's offices, before getting a new job related to autonomous driving from another company in China.

According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Wang Weibao was essentially a spy for the Chinese government. During his last days at Apple, the developer accessed "large amounts of sensitive proprietary and confidential information," as Apple representatives later discovered by looking at the company's access logs.

After a search in his home in Mountain View, California, turned up large quantities of Apple's proprietary data, Wang decided to fly from San Francisco to Guangzhou on a "one-way ticket" that same night. He likely brought Apple's secrets with him, and now the DoJ has charged the former engineer with six counts of stealing or attempting to steal trade secrets.

Wang, who will likely stay in China for the foreseeable future, now risks a potential maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 – or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the scheme – for each count of theft or attempted theft of trade secrets, the DoJ has revealed.

Wang's case is part of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force program, which is co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce to counter efforts by "hostile nation-states" working to "illicitly acquire" sensitive US-based technology to advance their authoritarian regimes or facilitate human rights abuses. The new "Strike Force" is currently dealing with a total of five cases regarding export violations, smuggling and trade secret theft.

Two of the other cases unsealed by DoJ are about "alleged procurement networks" working to help Russian military and intelligence services; another case is about a software developer stealing trade secrets from a US company for a Chinese competitor; the last case is about a Chinese network trying to bring isostatic graphite to Iran for the country's alleged nuclear weapons program.

Matthew S. Axelrod, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce, said that protecting sensitive American technology like source code for "smart automotive manufacturing equipment," or even items used to develop quantum cryptography, against illicit acquisition attempts by US adversaries is the core mission of the Disruptive Technology Strike Force.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/98737-former-apple-engineer-stole-autonomous-driving-secrets-sold.html

 

[aspleme]

Yes... it's absolutely horrifying that China is stealing secrets about self driving cars... from Apple. Because I think about everything I know about Apple and navigation, they are the company I most want to lead self driving tech... I mean, think how far along they could be if they didn't use Apple Maps for pathfinding?

You know what, this is a serious concern to Apple, and if they think China is responsible, they should punish them by refusing to sell their phones there. You say they'd rather have the profit? Then stop complaining about what China does.

 

[netman]

Yes, blame it on China Stealing every technology from US....! They are in moon, they must have stolen secrets from NASA...! They reached 5G cellular tech first, they must have stolen it from AT&T...! They have electric cars, they must have stolen it from Tesla...! And on and on and on...!

 

[LetTheWookieWin]

Yes, blame it on China Stealing every technology from US....! They are in moon, they must have stolen secrets from NASA...! They reached 5G cellular tech first, they must have stolen it from AT&T...! They have electric cars, they must have stolen it from Tesla...! And on and on and on...!

The fact of the matter is that China has a long history of stealing intellectual property. Google “China IP Theft” and you’ll get a host of articles like the following:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chines...operty-from-about-30-multinational-companies/

https://www.zdnet.com/article/fbi-i...1000-cases-of-chinese-theft-of-us-technology/

https://www.barrons.com/articles/th...operty-threatens-the-global-order-51622565452

https://www.science.org/content/article/china-s-theft-us-trade-secrets-under-scrutiny

In addition, if you were to ask engineers who have worked with Chinese suppliers, you will undoubtedly hear stories of sending a part to be manufactured in China and later seeing a Chinese-made replica of the same part magically appear for sale at a cost significantly undercutting that of the original manufacturer. Add to that the fact that China manipulates their currency to undercut the dollar and you have an unequivocally predatory trade “partner” who has fully earned their bad reputation.

 

[RandomWAN]

Unless they're going to send Batman after him, it's pretty pointless to charge him. China will never extradite him.

 

[godrilla]

Patents a designed to control western markets. For some reason Ch!na is exempt. Water under the bridge one more time . Woke monopolies still believe they control their own faith.

 

[dangh]

Yes... it's absolutely horrifying that China is stealing secrets about self driving cars... from Apple. Because I think about everything I know about Apple and navigation, they are the company I most want to lead self driving tech... I mean, think how far along they could be if they didn't use Apple Maps for pathfinding?

You know what, this is a serious concern to Apple, and if they think China is responsible, they should punish them by refusing to sell their phones there. You say they'd rather have the profit? Then stop complaining about what China does.

It is horrifying, that one side got access to thousands of hours worth of best engineers effort, so they can easily use results for own advantage. Stopping selling devices to them won't change that fact anymore. While I'm not fan of Apple, I surely dislike chinese communists government much more, as it is biggest danger in current world right now.

 

[waclark]

Yes, blame it on China Stealing every technology from US....! They are in moon, they must have stolen secrets from NASA...! They reached 5G cellular tech first, they must have stolen it from AT&T...! They have electric cars, they must have stolen it from Tesla...! And on and on and on...!

Yeah, pretty much.

 

[waclark]

Patents a designed to control western markets. For some reason Ch!na is exempt. Water under the bridge one more time . Woke monopolies still believe they control their own faith.

China is not exempt. We just have no power to enforce patents in China. China selling patented products in the US can be addressed, and usually is.

 

[brucek]

You know what, this is a serious concern to Apple, and if they think China is responsible, they should punish them by refusing to sell their phones there. You say they'd rather have the profit? Then stop complaining about what China does.

So roughly speaking, your theory is that if I eat dinner at a restaurant, I should be able to rob it as well?

I think Apple is right to say we're happy to sell phones at a mutually agreeable price to your citizens, and no that in no way means your spy service is entitled to unilaterally help itself to our other assets too.

 

[brucek]

Yes, blame it on China Stealing every technology from US....! They are in moon, they must have stolen secrets from NASA...! They reached 5G cellular tech first, they must have stolen it from AT&T...! They have electric cars, they must have stolen it from Tesla...! And on and on and on...!

What does any of that have to do with this particular individual being caught red-handed in this case? It feels to me like the right person is being blamed and the US seems willing to prove it in open court if ever given the opportunity.

 

[Freddie159]

Unless they're going to send Batman after him, it's pretty pointless to charge him. China will never extradite him.

And if he ever does come back they should send him right back again after revoking his US Citizenship and let him see how China deals with people who no longer have any value to them.

 

[sdms96825]

I guess that it never occurred to Apple that an employee named Wang Weibao might sell its secrets to China?

And, then, to negligently let him just fly home after being caught? Why wasn't he arrested on the spot?

 

[aspleme]

So roughly speaking, your theory is that if I eat dinner at a restaurant, I should be able to rob it as well?

I think Apple is right to say we're happy to sell phones at a mutually agreeable price to your citizens, and no that in no way means your spy service is entitled to unilaterally help itself to our other assets too.

No... I was saying that if you rob a restaurant, they should refuse to serve you food. Since they don't even care enough to refuse you service, why should the government use resources to punish you?

 

[aspleme]

It is horrifying, that one side got access to thousands of hours worth of best engineers effort, so they can easily use results for own advantage. Stopping selling devices to them won't change that fact anymore. While I'm not fan of Apple, I surely dislike chinese communists government much more, as it is biggest danger in current world right now.

"Best engineers effort" This isn't Apple's processor research (Although one could argue that their market control is a more powerful 'technology' to target than any hardware or software they have.) This is their self driving tech. If you're going to cheat off another kid while taking a test, at cheat off a kid getting A's, or even B's. Not simply some kid who happens to be in the same class.

 

[GoldenGoat]

The US should stop issuing work visas to people from China, because companies are not smart enough to not hire spies.

 

[Underdog]

Yes... it's absolutely horrifying that China is stealing secrets about self driving cars... from Apple. Because I think about everything I know about Apple and navigation, they are the company I most want to lead self driving tech... I mean, think how far along they could be if they didn't use Apple Maps for pathfinding?

You know what, this is a serious concern to Apple, and if they think China is responsible, they should punish them by refusing to sell their phones there. You say they'd rather have the profit? Then stop complaining about what China does.

Everybody knows that China makes Iphones. Cheap labour, etc. is the name of the game. Chinese factories are very well placed to copy the components and sell the resulting phones inside China so Apple refusing to sell there would be met with a resounding "So What?".

 

[zulu53]

This is where I laugh at IT companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google when they talk about their "expertise" in data (theirs or yours) security. Anyone with any military training in security knows that the number security issue or problem (or weakness) is ones own people - like in "our people are our biggest strength but they are also our biggest weakness". Apple et al are putting all their efforts into defending the perimeter that they forget? that their biggest treat comes from within. They do this because it is so easy to blame the user and ask them to go through hoops to gain access (like all the BS around "passwords" and "2FA") which looks good but protects only the cents; while the $$ are disappearing in the pockets (virtual) of their own staff to competitors - its all about the money; forget the political motivation. It is hard work hiring and firing the correct people to maintain a secure workforce; so lets just call it quits at the perimeter. Amateurs.

 

[zulu53]

The US should stop issuing work visas to people from China, because companies are not smart enough to not hire spies.

I don't know about that. I works quite well in the defense industry (since 1776), which is populated with many immigrants from Europe and Asia; and even a few from Islamic countries. I worked for large oil companies and they had no problem with security leaks of their intellectual property using people from all countries including China. I agree that the IT companies (Apple, Microsoft and Google) are completely inept but that is just arrogance; they could just be forced to learn from the other US companies - by the Government putting the senior management, in this case Tim Cook, in jail for a few months with each occurrence, for example.

 

[zulu53]

Yes... it's absolutely horrifying that China is stealing secrets about self driving cars... from Apple. Because I think about everything I know about Apple and navigation, they are the company I most want to lead self driving tech... I mean, think how far along they could be if they didn't use Apple Maps for pathfinding?

You know what, this is a serious concern to Apple, and if they think China is responsible, they should punish them by refusing to sell their phones there. You say they'd rather have the profit? Then stop complaining about what China does.

This security problem is not about the perpetrator (China in this case); it is about the incompetence of the victim (in this case Apple). Its like saying you should ban wolves because they attacked you in the forest, though you were supposedly equipped with the best technology of your species to resist wolves. The problem with banning wolves as the solution is that they are only 1 amongst many predators in the forest; pretty much every living thing in the forest is out to get you - that's why its called survival of the fittest. Saying that the answer is to ban all other humans (except your tribe) is a mental condition called xenophobia - it can be treated by trained medical personnel.