China's Baidu denies data breach after executive's daughter leaks personal info

Chinese search giant Baidu on Wednesday denied allegations it had suffered an internal data breach after a top executive's teenage daughter posted personal details of other internet users online, sparking a controversy.

The company, one of China's largest cloud providers, was thrust into the spotlight last week after online users accused the teenage daughter of Baidu vice president Xie Guangjun of posting personal information of other users such as their phone numbers after getting into an online argument.

Baidu said all employees and executives at all levels were prohibited from accessing user data and the information posted by the teenager originated from illegally obtained "doxing databases" on foreign platforms, which aggregate stolen private data.

Baidu also said it had filed a police report regarding false information circulating online, including claims the teenager had admitted her father had provided her with database access, as the controversy over the incident continued to swell.

Xie, who is part of Baidu's cloud division, had on Monday apologised for his daughter's behaviour, saying she had obtained the information from overseas social networking sites, according to Chinese media outlets citing a post he had made to his personal WeChat feed.

Xie did not immediately respond to requests for comment via Baidu and his LinkedIn profile.

China has in recent years introduced comprehensive data laws and tightened restrictions on the sharing of private data, amid the rise of shadowy online data sellers that buy and sell personal details such as birth dates, car and home ownership.

Shares in Baidu fell more than 4% in Hong Kong trading on Thursday morning.