China warns data leaks from wind towers could threaten national security 

Companies with ties to foreign spies are building meteorological towers and sending sensitive information abroad.

China’s Ministry of State Security has warned of data leak risks from wind measurement towers as part of the country’s sweeping national security drive.

On Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV shared cases obtained from the ministry, reporting that “a few companies” with ties to foreign spy agencies had “secretly infiltrated areas” around the country’s classified locations under the guise of building such towers – tall structures that measure meteorological data such as wind speed, direction, temperature and air pressure.

“They have illegally collected sensitive data and transmitted it abroad, posing a threat to national security,” CCTV said.

A resident of a coastal city reported to national security authorities that a company had illegally built a wind tower near a sensitive location, and the resident suspected the tower might be used to collect sensitive data, according to the report.

The ministry investigated and found that the wind tower could analyse and send data, CCTV said, adding that “if this data was leaked abroad, it could pose a risk to national security”.

Authorities have stopped the data from being leaked abroad, according to the report.

The report did not give details about the resident’s identity, the location of the wind tower or which coastal city it was in, who operated the tower or any criminal penalties arising from the case.

In another case described only in vague terms, a wind measurement tower near a scientific research base came under suspicion out of fears it may have illegally collected and sent data abroad, according to the report.

The report said an investigation revealed that the tower was not legally registered and that its data transmission methods were “complex, posing significant security risks”. The tower was later taken down, CCTV said.

National security has become a top priority in China, with Communist Party leaders highlighting the drive at the twice-a-decade third plenum in July.

It also comes amid intensifying strategic competition between China and the US-led West in all domains, including technology and trade.

State Security Minister Chen Yixin said last year that the country must “proactively defend” against foreign spies to strengthen national security and the Communist Party’s leadership.

Beijing enacted a new counter-espionage law last year, which has expanded both the definition of spying and the investigative powers of national security agencies.

In 2022, the China Meteorological Administration, the Ministry of State Security and the National Administration of State Secrets Protection revised a regulation on “foreign-related” meteorological detection and data, which stipulates conditions that may lead to criminal charges.

According to the regulation, meteorological stations with overseas ties must not be built in sensitive areas, and meteorological data must not be provided to foreign entities without approval.