Hacker claims to have stolen 1B records of Chinese citizens from police
NBCDec 29, 2022
Hackers Claim Theft of Police Info in China’s Largest Data Leak
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Image copyright: The Hindu Photo Library
The Facts
A hacker claims to have stolen the personal information of 1B Chinese citizens from a Shanghai police database. If true, industry experts say it would be the largest data breach in the country's history.
Posting on Breach Forums last week, the hacker offered to sell over 23 TB of data for 10 bitcoin ($250k). They claimed the databases contain information such as "name, address, birthplace, national ID number, mobile number, all crime/case details."
The Spin
Pro-China narrative
The hacker's claims to have stolen information on 1B Chinese citizens are just that: claims. They haven't been proven, yet people have been quick to play the blame game. Authorities should be left to investigate.
Anti-China narrative
Regardless of whether this hack is legitimate or not, it reaffirms the staggering scale of the Chinese government's surveillance on its people and the many risks that come with it. The government's silence over the issue and attempt at censorship only brings their embarassment into the spotlight.
