The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) has issued a warning regarding so-called “honey traps,” which foreign intelligence agencies may use to spy on key figures in politics and business. In response to an inquiry by the Handelsblatt, the BfV explained that these operations are designed to create compromising situations for the target based on interpersonal relationships.
The agency further detailed that for such operations, “relevant targets are systematically selected and researched, in order to either pressure them or bind them, either consciously or unconsciously, toward cooperation.”
These warnings come in the context of US media reports concerning an extramarital affair involving Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and an entrepreneur who may have connections to the Chinese intelligence service. Huang has confirmed the affair, though authorities have not yet determined if it constitutes a case of espionage.
Marc Henrichmann (CDU), the chair of the Bundestag’s Intelligence Oversight Committee, believes that similar espionage attempts are possible even within German companies. Speaking to the Handelsblatt, Henrichmann stated that it cannot be ruled out that Chinese intelligence services are deliberately attempting to establish connections deep within the leadership levels of German companies.
Henrichmann stressed that Chinese espionage is no longer an abstract threat but a genuine, everyday challenge in Germany. He noted that because German companies and research institutions are world leaders in many key technologies, they are an attractive target for foreign intelligence services.
