A computer hacker, who claims to have stolen the personal data of one billion Chinese people, is now offering this information for sale on the Internet. If confirmed, this data leak would be one of the most important in history.
A sample consisting of 750,000 pieces of data, leaked online by the hacker, contains the names, cell phone numbers, identity numbers, addresses, and dates of birth of those affected. AFP and cyber security experts were able to verify the authenticity of some of the data contained in this snippet. But the actual magnitude of the data leak has not yet been confirmed.
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Promoted at an Internet forum in late June, but found this week by cybersecurity experts, the database sells for ten bitcoins (more than $200,000). Administration is very extensive in China and the authorities maintain extensive databases on the population. The growing awareness of the general public has led lawmakers in recent years to strengthen laws on data protection for individuals and companies.
However, citizens have few means to prevent the state from collecting their personal information. Some of the data released by the hacker seems to come from the historical records of highly developed express delivery companies in China.
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Others contain summaries of incidents (traffic accidents, robberies, marital violence, rape, etc.) reported to the Shanghai police. Four of the 12 people contacted by AFP confirmed the veracity of the information contained in the published database, such as their names and addresses.
