State security organs, in coordination with relevant departments, have launched a special campaign to identify and address risks to the security of geographic information data.

Currently, as next-generation information technologies accelerate their development, the synergistic effects between geospatial data and the digital economy are steadily strengthening, providing a reliable data‑driven foundation for economic and social progress. Geospatial data is both a critical strategic data resource and a new factor of production, with broad applications across sectors such as precision agriculture, energy and power, and intelligent connected vehicles, as well as in everyday life scenarios like express delivery, online shopping, food delivery, and domestic services. However, certain organizations and individuals with ulterior motives are exploiting geographic information system software to attempt to steal classified and sensitive geospatial data, thereby posing threats and risks to national security.

　 　The Black Hand Reaching for Geospatial Data

　　Geographic Information System (GIS) software is specialized software that provides functions for collecting, storing, analyzing, managing, and sharing geographic information. These systems are highly powerful, enabling users to map various types of collected geographic data and perform analysis and visualization as needed, with coordinate accuracy that can even reach the centimeter level.

　　However, certain foreign organizations, institutions, and individuals have set their sights on the lucrative “big pie” of geographic information data, seeking to exploit geographic information system software to conduct intelligence‑gathering and espionage activities. Their methods include automatically establishing connections to overseas servers during software use to collect user data without restriction, as well as deliberately embedding backdoors in the software to facilitate cyberattacks and data theft.

　　In addition, a small number of users have weak data security awareness and publicly mark high-precision geolocation coordinates of urban utility networks, military targets, and classified‑information‑related entities on maps, creating serious risks of information leakage and potential irreparable harm.

　　 Specialized inspections and rectification efforts to cut off the sinister hand.

　　Geospatial data constitute high-value intelligence and are a primary target for espionage by foreign intelligence agencies. By stealing China’s high‑resolution geospatial data, adversaries could reconstruct three‑dimensional topographic maps of specific areas in critical sectors such as transportation, energy, and the military, thereby providing essential support for reconnaissance, surveillance, and military operations and posing a grave threat to China’s national security.

　　Recently, the work of national security authorities has revealed that foreign geographic information system software used in key sectors and fields in China is collecting and transmitting geographic information data. Some of this data is highly sensitive and even involves state secrets, posing a serious threat to China’s national security.

　　In response to the aforementioned situation, national security authorities, in coordination with relevant departments, have launched a special campaign to identify and address risks to the security of geographic information data, providing guidance and assistance to the entities concerned in conducting thorough investigations and implementing corrective measures, thereby promptly eliminating serious security hazards such as data theft and unauthorized disclosure.

　　 National Security Authorities Alert

　　I. The Data Security Law stipulates that data processing activities shall be conducted in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, with the establishment and improvement of a comprehensive, end-to-end data security management system; the organization of data security education and training; and the implementation of appropriate technical measures and other necessary safeguards to ensure data security. Relevant entities and individuals, when engaging in the collection and processing of geographic information data, shall select secure and reliable geographic information system software, establish stringent access controls based on the sensitivity of the data, and ensure that “classified information does not go online, and online activities do not involve classified information.” State security organs, in coordination with relevant departments, will establish and refine a collaborative mechanism for data security assurance, working together to safeguard the security of critical national data.

　　II. According to the Counter‑Espionage Law, any act of stealing, spying on, purchasing, or illegally providing data that concerns national security and interests—whether carried out by foreign entities, organizations, or individuals; instigated or funded by them; or conducted in collusion with domestic entities, organizations, or individuals—constitutes espionage. Citizens who become aware of such activities may report them to the national security authorities by calling the 12339 hotline, visiting the online reporting platform at www.12339.gov.cn, or using the National Security Ministry’s official WeChat account as a reporting channel. (CCTV reporter Li Benyang)