US ‘strike force’ to thwart theft or use of disruptive technology
- The strike force will seek to identify new threats to US trade secrets and protect critical supply chains, Justice Department official Lisa Monaco says
- She also warned of the ‘weaponisation of data’ in ‘new and very frightening ways’, and noted that she does not use Chinese-owned app TikTok
US enforcement agencies are forming a “strike force” to combat adversaries trying to steal advanced technology, hack for financial gain or use new tools to collect intelligence.
The move comes as government officials are grappling with how to respond to new threats such as the balloon they allege that China sent to collect intelligence. It was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on February 4 after flying across the US.
The “disruptive technology strike force”, led by the Justice and Commerce departments, will use intelligence and data to help identify early threats to trade secrets and protect critical supply chains, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a speech in London on Thursday.
“Today autocrats seek tactical advantage through the acquisition, use and abuse of disruptive technology: innovations that are fuelling the next generation of military and national security capabilities,” Monaco said at the independent research institute Chatham House.
“The ability to weaponise data will only advance over time, as artificial intelligence and algorithms enable the use of large data sets in new and increasingly sophisticated ways,” she said. “The data obtained today could be used in new and very frightening ways tomorrow.”