Chinese State-Linked Company Spies on Foreigners to Compile Massive Database - Reports

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2020) Chinese company Zhenhua Data, with links to the Chinese army and intelligence, has been collecting personal data of millions of foreign nationals, including government and military officials, in a bid to put together a massive database, Australia's ABC channel reported on Monday.

The broadcaster cited a leak of data from the Shenzhen-based company with files on more than 2.4 million people, including over 35,000 Australians, to say that the company for years collected personal information such as dates of birth, addresses, marital status, political views and photos. Nationals of Canada, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the United Kingdom and the United States were reportedly targeted as well.

The company, which according to the report cooperates with the Chinese Communist Party and the People's Liberation Army, reportedly collated data both from open sources, such as social media and criminal records, and confidential sources, such as bank records and job applications.

Part of information was even sources from the dark web, as claimed in the report.

Among the Australians whose files were compromised were prominent government officials, military, diplomats, academics, business executives, journalists, engineers, lawyers and civil servants, the report said. Moreover, 656 of them were reportedly marked as being of "special interest" or "politically exposed."

The list includes such Names as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Anthony Cavanough, tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes and singer Natalie Imbruglia.