Didi fined $1.2B for data breaches

Chinese authorities imposed a fine of $1.2 billion on ride-hailing firm Didi Global, a move that could bring an end to a probe into the company's cybersecurity practices.

The year-long probe came to symbolize Beijing’s bruising campaign to rein in China's powerful internet industry.

The fine accounts for about 4.7 percent of Didi's $27.3 billion in revenue last year.

The penalty, announced by China’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, is the largest fine issued in China over data protection issues. Government officials on Thursday also singled out two of Didi’s founders for blame, and invoked national security as they accused Didi of a string of violations, including the storage of 57 million driver identification numbers without encryption.

Regulators fined Didi Chairman Cheng Wei and President Jean Liu 1 million yuan apiece, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement. Didi was found to have violated three laws, and those illegal operations threatened national security, the agency said.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the potential size of the fine on Tuesday.

E-commerce titan Alibaba Group and delivery giant Meituan were fined $2.75 billion and $527 million respectively last year by China's antitrust regulator.

Alibaba's fine equated to about 4 percent of its 2019 domestic sales, while Meituan's was equivalent to 3 percent of its 2020 domestic sales.

Didi's penalty could pave the way for Beijing to ease a restriction banning it from adding new users to its platform and allow its apps to be restored on domestic app stores.

Didi, co-founded in 2012 by former Alibaba employee Will Wei Cheng and backed by SoftBank Group and Uber Technologies, previously set aside 10 billion yuan for a potential fine, Reuters previously reported.

The company has struggled to bring business back to normal after angering Chinese regulators by pushing ahead with its $4.4 billion New York listing in June 2021 despite being asked to put the float on hold.

Days after Didi went public, China's powerful internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China, launched a cybersecurity probe into the company's data practices and ordered app stores to remove 25 mobile apps operated by Didi.

The restrictions have chipping away at Didi's dominance and allowed rival ride-hailing services operated by automakers Geely and SAIC Motor to gain market share.

The company announced it would delist from the New York Stock Exchange in December, and won its shareholders' nod for the plan in May.

Shares of Didi soared in their initial public offering, giving the company a valuation of $80 billion. It was the biggest U.S. listing by a Chinese company since 2014.

Besides Didi, the CAC also launched cybersecurity reviews of Full Truck Alliance and online recruitment firm Kanzhun.

Kanzhun and Full Truck Alliance said on June 29 the regulator had given their apps the go-ahead to resume new user registrations.