Baidu enhances data privacy after doxing incident

Baidu is taking steps to reassure the public after a serious incident involving a vice-president's daughter. The 13-year-old girl, daughter of Xie Guangjun, shared personal information about a user online, a practice known as doxxing. This led to widespread backlash and concerns about data privacy. In response, Baidu released a statement saying it has a "zero tolerance" policy for privacy breaches. The Chinese tech company emphasized that it protects user data with strong anonymization and access controls. They held a briefing led by security chief Chen Yang to clarify the situation. Baidu stated that the leaked information came from an overseas database containing illegally obtained personal data. Xie Guangjun posted a public apology for his daughter's actions on his WeChat account. The incident risks damaging trust in Baidu, which offers cloud storage and AI services. The company warned that this loss of trust could impact their revenue. To address these concerns, Baidu announced a dedicated fund to fight cybercrime. They also plan to form an "anti-doxxing" alliance to prevent illegal data theft and leaks. This effort comes as Baidu faces growing competition in the AI sector.