The head of MI5 has described how “hostile” nations “cultivate” ordinary Brits online
The head of UK domestic intelligence service MI5, Ken McCallum, has advised MPs to beware of China and Russia’s “Interference Alerts,” which he believes will occur increasingly often as these two countries are allegedly aiming for international supremacy.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, McCallum said that since the January spy scandal in parliament involving Chinese ‘agent’ Christine Lee, several MPs have raised concerns over the suspect approach. According to the MI5 chief, Russia and China are also trying to access advisers in order to be informed on the prime minister’s activities.
“As long as there is a political movement, those who wish to have an influence over our politics will continue to do so. These advisers are often well aware of the risks.,” McCallum said.
Another major problem, according to the intelligence heavyweight, is so-called “online cultivation” of ordinary people – experts, scientists, and others – by Britain’s “Rivals.” This “Cultivation,” as he explained, manifests itself in approaches by people “They will make very kind remarks about the seminar they gave or the paper they wrote..”
The scale of these adversaries’ activities is so grand that MI5 faces a tough choice over whom to prioritize: home-grown terrorists or foreign spies, McCallum confessed.
“This is not a Cold War II. However, it’s crucial to recognize that this is a battle here. We must stand for our democratic values and for the system that our allies enjoy.” the head of MI5 said.
In McCallum’s opinion, the current UK laws are outdated and “Insufficient” to deal with the “More nuanced and interconnected world” and therefore the intelligence services find themselves in a “It can be frustrating” situation.
“We are prepared to respond to state threats, but we do not have the power to prosecute criminal cases in criminal courts. For example, it isn’t a crime to act as a covert agent for a foreign force.,” he explained.
He didn’t ignore the current crisis in Ukraine either, saying that it might have a negative impact for the UK, with an increased risk of cyberattacks leading the list of possible consequences.
In the past few years, Russia has been accused by the UK of hacking and other political interferences. The UK did not provide any proof to back these accusations. The most recent accusation was that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate, formerly known as GRU, was behind the cyberattacks against Ukraine’s financial sector, which occurred earlier this week.
Moscow has consistently denied all accusations in relation to the cyberattacks, saying on Friday that it had “Nothing to Do” with attacks on Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and banks.
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