British officials are investigating whether China is exploiting UK freedom of information laws to gather sensitive data on defence and national security. Government sources have identified patterns in FOI requests that suggest Beijing may be behind many inquiries targeting the UK's defence sector. The concerns center on requests for unclassified material that could be pieced together to reveal classified information.

Under the Freedom of Information Act, introduced by Tony Blair in 2000, requesters must provide their real name but proof of identity is not required. This loophole makes it difficult to verify the origins of inquiries. Conservative MP Alicia Kearns has called for tighter controls, describing the current system as vulnerable to exploitation by hostile states.

The Ministry of Defence stopped publishing FOI responses on its website last year while awaiting a new publishing system. Security minister Dan Jarvis previously noted that China has a "low threshold" for valuable information and will collect individual data points to build a wider picture. The Chinese embassy in London did not respond to requests for comment.