China's Didi Global hit with $1.18bn fine after cybersecurity probe

Regulators say ride-hailing platform broke security and personal data laws

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi has been fined 8 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) in a move many hope marks an end to Beijing's crackdown on the company. © Reuters

CISSY ZHOU, Nikkei staff writer

July 21, 2022 15:06 JST

Updated on July 21, 2022 18:27 JST

HONG KONG -- Chinese authorities on Thursday slapped ride-hailing company Didi Global with an 8 billion yuan ($1.18 billion) fine for breaking data security and personal information protection laws, after a yearlong cybersecurity review.

The country's top cyber watchdog said Didi illegally collected nearly 65 billion pieces of personal information from its drivers and their passengers, including facial recognition data, personal identification numbers as well as home and company addresses.