Baidu CEO's Daughter Accused of Leaking User Data: Company Stocks Plunge

Amidst a wave of outrage from the online community over the incident of a senior leader's daughter "exposing" users' personal information, Baidu, the Chinese online search and AI giant, has tried to reassure users about its data security measures.

In a press release issued Wednesday evening, Baidu asserted a “zero tolerance” policy toward any infringement of user privacy, emphasizing its strict data access controls and anonymization measures.

At a press conference on Thursday, Chief Security Officer Tran Duong reaffirmed the company's stance, claiming that the source of the leaked data came from an overseas database containing illegal personal information.

After the user information leak scandal, Baidu's stock price plummeted. (Photo: Reuters)

The incident stemmed from the actions of the 13-year-old daughter of Baidu Vice President Xie Guangjun, who posted personal information about a user online, an act known as "doxxing." Xie Guangjun later publicly apologized for his daughter's actions on his personal WeChat account.

This incident raises deep concerns about data privacy, directly threatening Baidu's reputation and business, especially in the fields of cloud storage services and AI chatbots. Shaking trust could lead to a significant decline in user revenue.

Baidu stressed that no employees or leaders are allowed to access users' personal data, and strongly condemned "online behaviors involving stealing and disclosing other people's private information".

Amid fierce competition among AI services in China, Baidu has set up a dedicated fund to combat cybercrime and announced plans to form an “anti-doxxing” alliance to prevent illegal data theft and leakage.

However, these efforts failed to completely allay investor concerns as Baidu's New York-listed shares fell 4% on Thursday.

Personal information leaks are widespread in China, exacerbated by massive data collection by both the government and private corporations. This has led to serious problems, including financial losses. Last year, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security handled more than 7,000 cases involving personal data breaches, according to statistics.

"Doxxing and data disclosure behaviors often lead to cyberbullying, causing serious damage to reputation, personal safety and mental health," said Lawyer Tran Minh Kiet from ZHH Law Firm, warning of related criminal and civil responsibilities.

He also noted that law enforcement remains challenging, especially when data is leaked from overseas databases, making it difficult to gather evidence and determine jurisdiction.

"It is a big challenge to easily reverse the leakage of personal information," criminal law expert Lao Dongyan from Tsinghua University said on Weibo, suggesting stricter controls at the data collection stage rather than just increased enforcement.

Khanh Huyen (Source: SCMP)

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