Apple staff held over alleged data scam
Print Edition
CHINESE authorities say they have uncovered a massive underground operation run by Apple employees selling computer and phone users’ personal data.
Twenty-two people have been detained on suspicion of infringing individuals’ privacy and illegally obtaining their digital personal information, according to a statement by police in east China’s Zhejiang Province.
Of the 22 suspects, 20 were Apple employees who allegedly used the company’s internal computer system to gather users’ names, phone numbers, Apple IDs, and other data, which they sold as part of a scam worth more than 50 million yuan (US$7.36 million).
The statement did not specify whether the data belonged to Chinese or foreign Apple customers.
Following months of investigation, the statement said, police across more than four provinces apprehended the suspects over the weekend, seizing their “criminal tools” and dismantling their online network.
The suspects, who worked in direct marketing and outsourcing for Apple in China, allegedly charged up to 180 yuan for pieces of data.
On June 1, China introduced a cyber security law aimed at protecting the country’s networks and private user information.
In December, a Southern Metropolis Daily investigation uncovered a black market for data from police and government databases.
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