Dead Drop: Week of December 7

CAMPUS LABS AND SECRET RECRUITMENTS - THE QUIET FRONTLINES: A recent warning from former Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) head David Vigneault, as reported by The Guardian, highlights that hostile powers, led by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), are no longer satisfied with stealing government secrets (if they ever were). According to the report, the PRC is also systematically infiltrating universities and private-sector R&D labs to plunder dual-use research (AI, materials science, robotics, etc.), siphoning innovations that can be repurposed for military or strategic use. In parallel: in a move that quietly underscores deep mistrust of major-power surveillance, Politico reports that the Netherlands government has disabled Google Analytics on job-listings for its intelligence services. The aim: to prevent aspirant spies’ data from being sucked into U.S. surveillance. A Dutch lawmaker was quoted saying that while China and Russia have long been viewed as an espionage risk, it is unacceptable to have any foreign government, allied or not, to have insight into Dutch intelligence recruitment candidates. There’s a clear convergence here: espionage increasingly is moving through civilian channels: labs, campuses, job-ads, and recruitment portals, in addition to old espionage sources and methods still being very much in play.

SOMEBODY’S WATCHING ME: The Daily Mail says that a veteran Russian cosmonaut has been bounced from an upcoming joint space mission with NASA. Oleg Artemyev was accused of “photographing classified documents and rocket equipment at a SpaceX facility in Hawthorne, California, and was accused of ‘smuggling’ the information out of the building on his phone in late November.” Because of the accusations, Artemyev has been replaced by another Russian cosmonaut who will take his place on the “SpaceX Crew-12” trip to the International Space Station in early 2026. Ya’ think people might be watching his every move?