Chinese authorities have not publicly commented on the breach Shanghai police database. Search terms related to it, including “data leak”, were censored on Chinese social media.
A hacker is offering to sell a gigantic Shanghai police database that he says contains sensitive information about around a billion Chinese residents, including their names, addresses, dates of birth, and crime and case reports. The hacker, who calls himself “ChinaDan,” says the database also contains photos used in official documents or captured by facial recognition systems. If the claim is true, it would amount to one of the largest data breaches in history, especially given the nature and scope of personal information. The sale price for the database is 10 bitcoins, worth around £169,000 at press time.

“In 2022, the Shanghai National Police (SHGA) database was leaked. This database contains many [terabytes] of data and information about billions of Chinese citizens,” ChinaDan posted on Breach Forums, a forum of piracy. “The databases contain information on one billion Chinese national residents and several billion case records, including: name, address, place of birth, national identification number, mobile phone number, all crime details /case”. Some of the information published as a sample appeared to be correct: The Wall Street Journal and AFP contacted some of those included in the sample, who verified sensitive personal information. Chinese authorities have not publicly commented on the breach. Search terms related to it, including “data leak”, were censored on Chinese social media.