Chinese tech giant Baidu has denied allegations of an internal data breach following a controversy involving the teenage daughter of a top executive, who was accused of leaking personal information of internet users online.
The company, one of China’s largest cloud service providers, came under scrutiny last week after online users alleged that the daughter of Baidu vice president Xie Guangjun had posted personal details—such as phone numbers—of other users during an online dispute.
In a statement on Wednesday, Baidu asserted that no employees or executives had access to user data and that the information shared by the teenager originated from illegally obtained “doxing databases” on foreign platforms. The company added that it had filed a police report regarding false claims circulating online, including allegations that the teenager had admitted to receiving database access from her father.
Xie, a key figure in Baidu’s cloud division, apologized on Monday for his daughter’s actions, stating that she had sourced the information from overseas social media sites, according to Chinese media reports citing his personal WeChat post.
China has tightened data privacy regulations in recent years, introducing strict laws to curb the sale and misuse of personal data. Despite these efforts, the country continues to struggle with underground networks trafficking in stolen private information.
