British officials are concerned that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using the UK’s Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to collect non-confidential data, by aggregating and piecing together these scattered pieces of information to obtain sensitive intelligence.
The Freedom of Information Act in the UK, usually referring to the Freedom of Information Act 2000, is a vital legislation promoting government transparency and public right to know. Sources revealed that government officials have identified a certain pattern in information requests related to UK defense and national security, raising suspicions that a significant portion of these requests may be coming from the CCP.
According to a report by the Financial Times on March 18, an official disclosed, “There is an increasing awareness that hostile states – particularly China – are using the Freedom of Information Act to acquire defense information.”
The Freedom of Information Act grants citizens the right to request information from the government. The core principle of the Act is that “anyone” can apply without needing to provide a reason. It applies to various entities including central government departments, local governments, police, NHS, public schools, universities, and more. Normally, a response is received within 20 working days of the information request, and there is an option to appeal if unsatisfied.
While the Freedom of Information Act requires the government to provide only non-confidential information upon receiving requests, requesters may still obtain some scattered data that can be pieced together, potentially leading to the leakage of classified information. This phenomenon is known in the intelligence community as the “mosaic effect,” where investigations may focus on specific UK defense projects, cybersecurity infrastructure, or the defense relationships between the country, academia, and industry.
Despite the requirement for information requesters to provide their real names and contact addresses, in practice, identification is not always necessary, and government agencies often overlook these regulations, making it challenging to analyze the true sources of information requests.
While the UK Ministry of Defense is still processing individual information requests submitted to the department, they ceased publishing all responses on the UK government website in February of last year. Defense officials noted this is temporary, pending the launch of a new online publication system.
British Security and Defense Secretary Dan Jarvis issued a warning to MPs in November of last year, stating that the CCP “will gather scattered information to build a more comprehensive picture.”
On November 18, 2025, the UK intelligence agency MI5 issued a spy alert to MPs, marking the first spy alert issued to Parliament by MI5 since 2022. The alert stated that Chinese state security operatives use headhunters, such as LinkedIn, or false identities of shell companies to contact British individuals to establish connections with the aim of stealing information. MI5 specifically named two LinkedIn accounts related to the Chinese State Security Ministry, registered under the names of Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen.
The Chinese Embassy in London dismissed these accusations as “pure fabrications and malicious slander.”