Latest cybersecurity reporting from selected sources.

Chinese Developer Formerly Employed by Company Suspected of Data TheftSouth Korea's biggest online retailer, Coupang, said a five-month breach exposed personal data pertaining to 34 million customers, and only came to light after it received an extortion demand. Police said a former developer at the company, a Chinese national who fled the country, is a suspect.

Crooks spoof US insurers, threaten bogus extradition to pry loose personal data and cash Chinese speakers in the US are being targeted as part of an aggressive health insurance scam campaign, the FBI warns.…

China officially rolled out a voluntary Internet identity system to protect citizens' online identities and personal information, but critics worry about privacy and surveillance.

Taiwan warned that popular Chinese-owned apps, including TikTok and Weibo, are harvesting personal data and sending it back to servers in China

A Chinese-language, Telegram-based marketplace called Xinbi Guarantee has facilitated no less than $8.4 billion in transactions since 2022, making it the second major black market to be exposed after HuiOne Guarantee

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined TikTok €530 million (over $601 million) for illegally transferring the personal data of users in the European Economic Area (EEA) to China, violating the European Union's GDPR data protection regulations. [...]

PLUS: Indonesia crimps social media, allows iPhones; India claims rocket boost; In-flight GenAI for Japan Airlines Asia In Brief China last week commenced a crackdown on inappropriate collection and subsequent use of personal information.…

Regulators Cite Privacy Concerns Over DeepSeek's Data Collection PracticesThe Personal Information Protection Commission, South Korea's data protection regulator, has directed Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek AI to withdraw its chatbot application from official app stores pending an inquiry into the chatbot's compliance with data protection rules.

South Korea has formally suspended new downloads of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot DeepSeek in the country until the service makes changes to its mobile apps to comply with data protection regulations

Italy's data protection watchdog has blocked Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) firm DeepSeek's service within the country, citing a lack of information on its use of users' personal data

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has issued a final rule carrying out Executive Order (EO) 14117, which prevents mass transfer of citizens' personal data to countries of concern such as China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela

Attorney James Gong Examines Upcoming Regulations Related to Non-Personal DataIn 2025, companies in China will face additional obligations when data protection audits become mandatory, setting a new benchmark for compliance with privacy laws. China is also expected to introduce regulations on non-personal data to establish a framework for ethical and secure data usage.

It's not unusual for the data brokers behind people-search websites to use pseudonyms in their day-to-day lives (you would, too). Some of these personal data purveyors even try to reinvent their online identities in a bid to hide their conflicts of interest. But it's not every day you run across a US-focused people-search network based in China whose principal owners all appear to be completely fabricated identities.

The Vote to Restrict the Sale of Americans' Sensitive Personal Data Is UnanimousThe House voted Wednesday to pass the Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act, a bill that would provide the FCC with enhanced authorities to seek up to $50,000 in civil penalties against data brokers that sell Americans' sensitive information to countries such as Russia and China.

A new presidential executive order attempts to prevent the mass sales of personal data to countries like China and Russia

U.S. President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that aims to ban the bulk sale and transfer of Americans' private data to "countries of concern" such as China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. [...]

New Order Tasks Department of Justice with Developing Data Transfer ProtectionsU.S. President Joe Biden is set to sign Wednesday an executive order aimed at preventing the large-scale transfer of Americans' sensitive personal data to countries including China. The order will set off a rulemaking process spearheaded by the Department of Justice.

Biden readies executive order targeting China, Russia, and pals US President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order today that aims to prevent the sale or transfer of Americans' sensitive personal information and government-related data to adversarial countries including China and Russia.…

A Chinese state-backed research institute claims to have discovered how to decrypt device logs for Apple's AirDrop feature, allowing the government to identify phone numbers or email addresses of those who shared content. [...]

A new large-scale smishing campaign is targeting the U.S. by sending iMessages from compromised Apple iCloud accounts with an aim to conduct identity theft and financial fraud