Chinese tycoons’ and Communist Party officials’ personal data leaked on Twitter
Poster says aim is to expose ease of getting sensitive information from the black market
Personal information on dozens of Communist Party officials and captains of industry from Jack Ma Yun to Wang Jianlin may have been exposed on Twitter in one of the country’s biggest online leaks of sensitive information.
Posts on Twitter from an account under the name “shenfenzheng” – which has since been frozen – claimed to show everything from ID cards to the residential addresses of prominent people in government, banking, technology and industry. In some cases, their children’s alleged details were also published. Many of the tweets were swiftly deleted but at least two of the ID numbers posted were verified as authentic.
Widespread online leaks of personal information in China prompt new data collection laws
The incident underscores the challenge facing China in policing the spread of information within its borders, even as it imposes rigid controls on the internet through the world’s largest firewall. It shows China is susceptible to the sort of privacy leaks that have become commonplace in other countries.
Shenfenzheng, a name that literally translates as “personal ID”, tweeted that the intention was to expose how potentially sensitive information on Chinese individuals – no matter how senior – can be easily procured through black-market channels. Information on executives can be dredged up through publicly available filings and databases, but access is typically limited to licensed professionals who must be verified and can be tracked.
“It’s easy to figure out anybody’s information, whether you’re a government official or a celebrity,” shenfenzheng tweeted. “Getting the common people’s data is like buying cabbage.”
The account was suspended yesterday afternoon. Twitter typically freezes accounts that indulge in abusive behaviour or pose a threat to other users.