Walmart’s China unit disciplined by Shenzhen police for breaches of cybersecurity laws
- Public security authorities in Shenzhen found 19 cybersecurity loopholes in November in the online network of Walmart’s China operation
- Shenzhen police warning comes amid the country’s intensified cybersecurity crackdown on data collection and use by companies
The China arm of the world’s largest retailer Walmart Inc has received a warning from police in the southern tech hub of Shenzhen for breaches of cybersecurity laws, as the country tightens its grip over how data is handled by businesses.
The public security authorities in Shenzhen found 19 cybersecurity loopholes in November in the online network of Walmart’s China operation, which could be susceptible to exploitation, and the company did not subsequently fix the issues in a timely manner, according to a document issued by local authorities and shown on Qichacha, a Chinese business information platform.
The Futian Branch of the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau issued an official warning to the company in late December and ordered it to rectify the problems, citing violation of the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, the document shows.
Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.