Britain\u2019s spy agency has advised vigilance against Russian and Chinese agents, even during casual conversations<\/p>\n
MI5 has issued guidance to UK politicians and their staff on how to spot potential Russian or Chinese spies in their day-to-day activities.
\nAccording to a new guide released on Monday by MI5\u2019s National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), the UK has been the target of \u201clong-term strategic foreign interference and espionage\u201d from Russia, China, and Iran.
\nThe document warns that hostile actors could use seemingly ordinary interactions and casual conversations for information gathering, recruitment, or blackmail. It advises politicians to remain alert, trust their instincts, and, \u201cif something doesn\u2019t feel right,\u201d report to their security teams.
\n\u201cKeep track of odd social interactions, frequent requests to meet privately, and out-of-place introductions or engagements. If an approach is vague, involves overt flattery or pressure to respond quickly to avoid missing out, or appears just too good to be true, you should be cautious,\u201d the guidance states.<\/p>\n
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It adds that such actors often exploit \u201cshared interests and social gatherings\u201d when approaching their targets. Politicians are warned that foreign agents can pose online as recruiters or talent scouts offering \u201centicing opportunities\u201d with the aim of obtaining sensitive information.
\n\u201cEveryone reading this guidance cares deeply about the role they play in UK democracy. Take action today to protect it \u2013 and yourself,\u201d MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said.
\nMI5 said it recorded more than 20,000 instances of foreign actors using networking sites to gather sensitive information in 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Britain\u2019s spy agency has advised vigilance against Russian and Chinese agents, even during casual conversations MI5 has issued guidance to UK politicians and their staff on how to spot potential…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t