U.S. set to announce cyber espionage charges against China

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U.S. set to announce cyber espionage charges against China
(Image credit: Thinkstock)

In what is a first, the United States will announce today that it's filing cyber espionage charges against several Chinese government officials. NBC News first reported that the Justice Department is accusing the individuals of hacking into American companies and stealing industrial secrets.

Attorney General Eric Holder and officials from the FBI will announce the charges later today. So far, few details have been released, such as the names of the alleged hackers or the companies they targeted, but experts believe those hacked were mostly involved in energy and manufacturing. The charges carries "enormous diplomatic implications" because the accused Chinese officials will become international fugitives, although it's unclear if they will ever be taken into custody, notes ABC News.

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Jordan Valinsky is the lead writer for Speed Reads. Before joining The Week, he wrote for New York Observer's tech blog, Betabeat, and tracked the intersection between popular culture and the internet for The Daily Dot. He graduated with a degree in online journalism from Ohio University.