There’s reportedly an anonymous Twitter account disclosing what many believe to be the personal details and information of some of China’s most elite and well-known individuals.
From business moguls to the politically well-connected, Reuters reported late last week that the embarrassing leak was raising concerns about the security surrounding individuals’ official records.
Even Jack Ma, founder and CEO of eCommerce giant Alibaba, fell victim to the Twitter account’s posts last week. But Reuters confirmed it was unable to verify how accurate the information really is.
The now-defunct account, which ran under the Twitter handle @shenfenzheng, translates to “identity card” in Chinese.
“I am unclear about other people’s [information], but mine is indeed the content registered on my public security household registration,” television pundit Sima Nan told Reuters by telephone, confirming that the personal identification number leaked by the anonymous social media account was indeed factual.
According to The New York Times, prior to the account being suspended, it was posting both photographs and screenshots containing information from dozens of China’s more prominent people, including their addresses, national identification numbers, educational data and marital statuses.
“Surprised by these tidbits of information?” NYT said the @shenfenzheng account posted before the account was shut down. “I hope this can get fellow countrymen thinking. Personal privacy is worth nothing in China.”
Both Twitter and the Chinese Public Security Bureau did not respond to NYT’s request for comment on the matter, but the media outlet did verify that the information posted about Ma, as well as Wang Jianlin, chairman of real estate company Dalian Wanda Group, was accurate.
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