Baidu Exec Tries to Diffuse Doxxing Controversy

A cyberbullying case involving the 13-year-old daughter of a top Baidu executive has sparked outrage in China and raised privacy concerns.

Last week, the teenage daughter of Xie Guangjun, vice president of Baidu’s cloud division, was accused by multiple social media users of involvement in doxxing incidents resulting in the disclosure of users’ personal information, including their real names, state-issued ID numbers, phone numbers, and IP addresses.

Her father, Xie, published a public apology Monday, saying he “regretted not teaching his daughter to respect and protect other people’s privacy,” adding, “I am deeply remorseful and apologize to all those affected.”

In the most recent case, which took place last week, Xie’s daughter was accused of taking part in a coordinated online attack against a pregnant woman, helping reveal the woman’s personal information and send hostile messages to her husband.

The woman had become a target of harassment after expressing her disapproval of the demanding work schedule of a popular K-pop singer, a comment that may have caused the singer’s “fan circle” to retaliate.

Fan circles — highly organized and hierarchical fan groups dedicated to particular celebrities — have been linked to numerous high-profile doxxing and cyberbullying cases in recent years.

Last year, fan circles dedicated to various Chinese table tennis players became the target of a major crackdown after they were accused of spreading defamatory comments during the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The doxxing incident involving Xie’s daughter sparked an avalanche of public condemnation over the weekend, with related hashtags amassing hundreds of millions of views on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo. Social media users expressed outrage over the teenager’s apparent ability to access and exploit personal information, and drew a connection to her father’s high-profile position as VP of Baidu’s cloud division.

In his apology, Xie seemed to deny that his daughter had obtained private information on users from Baidu, instead saying she had used “overseas social platforms.”

The controversy comes at an awkward time for Baidu, which launched new artificial intelligence models Sunday as it looks to tap into China’s booming AI sector.

Baidu has not commented on the accusations or Xie’s apology.

China’s Civil Code, implemented in 2021, allows prosecutors to hold both individuals and platforms legally liable for doxxing incidents, Zhang Xue, a lawyer at Yingke Law Firm in Shenzhen, told Sixth Tone Tuesday.

“If a minor commits an illegal act, their legal guardian is responsible for civil compensation, meaning Xie Guangjun’s apology may not be sufficient,” Zhang said.

“The platform may also receive an administrative penalty for not promptly deleting relevant information,” she added.

(Header image: VCG)