SenseNets facial recognition data breach reveals Beijing Uyghur surveillance
SenseNets facial recognition data breach reveals Beijing Uyghur surveillance
Occurred: February 2019
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A major data breach involving Chinese facial recognition company SenseNets exposed personal information of over 2.5 million individuals.
Discovered by security researcher Victor Gevers, the leaked database contained sensitive data such as ID card numbers, home addresses, birth dates, and real-time location tracking data. It had been unprotected online, allowing anyone to access it without authentication.
The exposed data included more than 6.8 million location logs from the previous 24 hours, exposing the extensive surveillance capabilities of SenseNets' technology. The locations tracked included various public and private spaces, such as police stations, hotels, and mosques, raising concerns about the implications for privacy and security, particularly for the Uyghur population in Xinjiang.
SenseNets did not comment publicly on the breach and its website went offline. The company said it would conduct an internal investigation following the discovery of the data exposure, which had been accessible since at least July 2018. Gevers had previously alerted the company about the vulnerability but received no response.
The incident prompted questins about SenseNets' security, links with Chinese state security, and honesty and integrity.
Persecution of Uyghurs in China
Since 2014, the Chinese government has committed a series of ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang which has often been characterized as persecution or as genocide.
Source: Wikipedia
Operator:
Developer: Netposa Technologies/SenseNets
Country: China
Sector: Govt - police; Govt - security
Purpose: Identify Uyghurs
Technology: Facial recognition
Issue: Dual/multi-use; Privacy; Security; Surveillance
Page info
Type: Incident
Published: September 2024