For 5 years, as an agent for the Chinese government, Yeo trawled for “susceptible individuals who were vulnerable to recruitment and tried to avoid detection by U.S. authorities.”
After Yeo identified American targets, he solicited them for non-public information and paid them to write reports. Yeo told his American targets the reports were for clients in Asia, without revealing that they were destined for the Chinese government.
LinkedIn a goldmine of information
Yeo made his crucial contacts using LinkedIn, the job and careers networking site used by more than 700 million people. The platform was described only as a “professional networking website” in the court documents, but its use was confirmed by the Washington Post.
In finding his contacts, Yeo, who was based in Washington D.C. in 2019, was aided by the LinkedIn algorithm. Each time Yeo saw a profile it would suggest a new slate of contacts with similar experience that might be of interest.
LinkedIn is a goldmine for foreign intelligence agencies. In 2018, U.S. counter-intelligence chief William Evanina warned of “super aggressive” action by Beijing on the Microsoft-owned platform, which is one of few Western social media sites not blocked in China.
