BEIJING -- Didi Global on Saturday said none of its data has been leaked to the U.S., where earlier in the week it made the year's biggest IPO, as it tries to quiet a social media hubbub sparked by the Cyberspace Administration of China's announcement that it has launched an investigation into the country's dominant ride-hailer.
The cyberspace administration's announcement, which came days after Didi raised $4.4 billion in an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, triggered widespread social media speculation that data had been leaked in the U.S.
The administration said the investigation is meant "to protect national security."
In a post on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, Didi Vice President Li Min said rumors that Didi is providing data to the U.S. is a malicious hoax. The post was reposted by Didi's official account.
Li also pointed out that all data it collects on Didi's users in China is stored on domestic servers and that the company will never provide such data to the U.S.
President Xi Jinping and his regime are strengthening their grip on the country's tech companies. Earlier this year, Alibaba Group Holding said it had accepted a record fine after regulators ruled it had violated antitrust rules.
The investigation into Didi is based on the national security and internet security laws.
In his Weibo post, Li did not mention what kind of investigation the cyberspace administration is conducting.
SoftBank Group is Didi's largest shareholder, and U.S. ride-hailing peer Uber Technologies is also a shareholder.
