China’s customs authority looking into claim sensitive business data was leaked to foreign firm
- Chinese company complained that a rival had obtained information collected from car parts suppliers, according to sources
- Probe said to be focused on statistics department, and data managers have been told to review and step up security
China’s customs authority has launched an internal investigation into an allegation that sensitive business data it had collected from Chinese car parts suppliers was obtained by a foreign company, according to three sources with knowledge of the matter.
Customs data managers have also been told to review and step up security, they said.
The action was taken after a Chinese firm complained to the General Administration of Customs that a foreign rival had access to “detailed import and export data with sensitive business information including product types, quantities and values” that could give the company an advantage over local suppliers, one of the sources said.
The investigation was focused on the statistics department and several senior staff had been questioned about the alleged data leak, according to the source, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
All importers and exporters are required to provide customs declarations to the authority that include details of commodity codes, the consignor and consignee, port information, quantities and transaction values. The clearance system is centralised and the authority’s statistics department also reviews and analyses the data.
The customs authority declined to comment when reached by phone.
