UK holds talks with LinkedIn on clamping down on Chinese espionage

Two LinkedIn profiles under the name of Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen have been linked to the Chinese intelligence service. Composite: LinkedIn

The government is holding talks with LinkedIn on how it can clamp down on prolific Chinese espionage activity after a rare interference alert was issued by MI5.

The National Protective Security Authority, which is part of the UK’s security services, is speaking to social media platforms about making them less attractive for foreign agents, a government official told the Guardian.