Chinese companies are selling information about US moves in the war with Iran
This is a development that does not only concern the current conflict, but highlights a deeper shift: the transfer of espionage and military intelligence to the private sector, using artificial intelligence as a vehicle.
A new, unseen dimension of the Middle East war is emerging through revelations that bring to light the activity of Chinese artificial intelligence companies, which are attempting to capitalize on the conflict in Iran by offering – for a fee – analytical data on the movements of American forces. This is a development that concerns not only the current conflict, but highlights a deeper shift: the transfer of espionage and military intelligence to the private sector, using artificial intelligence as a vehicle.
According to the Washington Post, in the weeks following the outbreak of war with Iran, there was intense activity on social media – both in the West and in China – with posts that included detailed listings of US military equipment, aircraft carrier movements and even analyses of how to organize air strikes against Tehran.
Behind this information were not government agencies, but private Chinese companies, some of which have links to the People’s Liberation Army of China. These companies leverage a combination of artificial intelligence and open data – from satellite imagery to flight and navigation data – to create “geospatial analysis” products that they advertise as being able to “expose” the movements of American forces in real time.
This activity is part of a broader strategy by Beijing, which in recent years has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of private companies that can serve military applications. This is the model of "civil-military integration", through which China attempts to bridge the private sector with defense needs.
At the same time, Beijing is trying to distance itself from the war in Iran, projecting the image of a neutral mediator. But the activity of these companies creates a gray area: It offers capabilities that can be exploited by US adversaries, without the direct involvement of the Chinese state.
A case in point is Hangzhou-based MizarVision, a company founded in 2021 that specializes in analyzing military movements. The company uses data from both Chinese and Western sources, which it processes through artificial intelligence algorithms, to map US activity in the Middle East.
In posts shared on social media, MizarVision detailed the deployment of US forces ahead of Operation Epic Fury, including the movement of the aircraft carriers USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as the concentration of aircraft at bases including Ovda in Israel, Prince Sultan in Saudi Arabia, and al-Udeid in Qatar.
The company itself claims that it can identify “refueling patterns” of the US Navy, as well as monitor the deployment of missile systems in various regions of the world. However, it does not disclose its clients or the exact sources of its data.
The issue has sparked heated debate in the United States. American officials and intelligence analysts are divided on whether the Chinese companies' capabilities are truly operational or more of a tool for projecting power. However, they agree on one point: the trend poses a growing security risk.
As analyst Ryan Fedasiuk points out, the proliferation of private geospatial analytics companies in China is enhancing the country’s ability to challenge U.S. military operations in times of crisis. Even if the data isn’t perfectly accurate, the ability to collect and process large amounts of information creates a new level of pressure.
At the same time, questions are being raised about the origin of the data. Some of the imagery used by Chinese companies appears to come from commercial satellite imagery providers in the West. While these companies assure that they are not working directly with Chinese entities for military use, it remains unclear exactly how the data ends up being used.
Even more impressive are the claims of other companies, such as Jing'an Technology, which claimed to have recorded communications between US B-2 stealth bombers at the start of operations. The company claimed that "in the eyes of artificial intelligence, there is no such thing as absolute invisibility," although it later deleted the relevant material.
US officials are wary of such claims, saying China does not yet have the ability to break stealth communications. However, they stress that the critical issue is not the current level of technology, but the direction in which it is moving.
This debate has already reached Congress, where committees are warning that Chinese companies are turning artificial intelligence into a battlefield surveillance tool against the U.S. The fear is that the commercial technology could be used to produce near-real-time intelligence on American military movements.
At the same time, analysts point out that this model offers Beijing an important advantage: "plausible deniability." The state can benefit from the capabilities of private companies without being directly responsible for their actions.
The timing is not coincidental. China has close ties with Iran and is heavily dependent on its energy exports, but it also seeks to maintain its image as a mediator on the international stage. In a joint statement with Pakistan, it recently called for an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations.
However, developments show that the war in Iran is not being waged only with missiles and airstrikes, but also in a new field: that of information. A field where the boundaries between state and private sector are blurring, and where artificial intelligence is becoming a weapon of strategic importance.
In conclusion, the era of intelligence agencies having a monopoly on military intelligence is over. In its place is a new reality, where private companies can map military operations in near real time. And that, in itself, is a game-changer.
