China-based Zhenhua Data tracked over 10,000 Indians: Here’s everything you need to know

A Shenzhen-based technology firm with links to the Chinese government is monitoring over 10,000 Indian individuals and organisations in its global database of “foreign targets”.

According to ET, The range of targets in India identified and monitored in real time by Zhenhua Data was “sweeping” and included President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress’ interim president Sonia Gandhi, and their families, as well as several chief ministers, among others

It is said to have links  with Chinese military and intelligence networks and has People’s Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party as some of its main clients.

Zhenhua files contain personal information about millions of people across the world in a database compiled by Chinese tech company.

Zhenhua data information Technology co limited monitors the targets’ digital footprints across social media.  It contains information including birth dates, addresses, marital status, photographs, political associations, relatives, criminal records, news articles and corporate misdemeanors.

It is said that the company targets individuals and institutions in politics, government, business, technology and civil society.

The database also includes 51,000 Americans, 10,000 Indians, 10,000 British nationals, including the royal family, and 5,000 Canadians. Sources claim, the CEO of Zhenhua Data is Wang Xuefeng, a former IBM Employee

Reports suggests the database was leaked to American academic Christopher Balding who was working at China’s Peking University until 2018 before leaving the country in fear of his safety. He shared the data with Internet 2.0 for recovery and analysis.

The leaked data can be used by China for surveillance and monitoring purposes. It can be a key weapon in a next generation ‘Hybrid warfare’