Leak of Shanghai police informants data sparks concerns

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A major security breach in the Shanghai police website has led to a huge leak of private information about informants and people making complaints to the department.

The leaked files included their names, addresses, phone numbers and the letters they sent to the police chief's e-mail address, according to a review by the South China Morning Post.

The bulk of the files, dated from August to yesterday, were emails and photographic proof of alleged wrongdoing - some implicating police officers.

Police said they received and responded to nearly 1,300 complaint e-mails in the first two months of the year.

The data could be publicly accessed on a server that hosts the Shanghai Public Security Bureau's website from Friday afternoon, and perhaps earlier.

The server became unavailable after that, the Post said.

The e-mail complaint system, run by the police department handling petitions, allows citizens to air grievances and to report crimes, the website stated.

The force has encouraged tipsters to provide their personal information so their cases can be handled in a "timely manner". It promised that all personal information would be protected.

Complainants contacted about the leak expressed shock.

"How could they do this to us?" said a man from the Minhang district of the city who lodged a complaint this year.

He said the bureau did not respond to his letter. "I hope the authorities can treat our reports more seriously by ensuring the informants are protected from such exposure."

A woman who accused policemen of beating up her family members said she was disappointed by the breach of security.

"To disclose our information is like telling those police officers that I'm the whistleblower," she said.

"I did my job, but apparently the police didn't do theirs," she told the Post.