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On March 18, 2025, IVE's Wonyoung made headlines after the 13-year-old daughter of Baidu's Vice President leaked the personal information of over 100 individuals who had criticized the K-pop idol. Baidu is a Chinese search engine often referred to as the "Google of China."
The controversy began when a pregnant woman allegedly posted critical remarks about IVE's Jang Wonyoung's demanding schedule during Paris Fashion Week. The woman questioned Wonyoung's complaints about her exhausting traveling experience in first class.
As per SPOTV News, this comment angered Baidu's Vice President Xie Guangjun's daughter, a fan of Wonyoung. In response, she allegedly retaliated by exposing the personal information of the pregnant woman to defend Wonyoung. The leaked information included the woman's workplace, address, and phone number, which led to harassment that forced her to deactivate her social media account.
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Further investigation revealed that Xie's daughter allegedly engaged in similar doxxing activities within K-pop fan communities, targeting over 100 individuals who had expressed negative opinions about IVE's Wonyoung.
According to reports, Xie's 13-year-old daughter purportedly boasted about her actions in support of her admiration for Wonyoung. She claimed immunity from consequences due to her residence in Canada and her father's executive position at Baidu.
On March 18, Baidu's Vice President Xie Guangjun publicly apologized and said,
"As a father, I failed to teach her to protect the privacy of others and individuals in a timely manner. I feel deeply guilty and solemnly apologize to those who were harmed."
The controversy raised concerns about the potential misuse of Baidu's internal data. TECH IN ASIA reported that speculations emerged suggesting that Xie's daughter may have accessed personal information through Baidu's databases, considering her father's executive position.
However, Baidu has denied these allegations, stating that their internal investigation found no evidence of data breaches. They also emphasized that there was no misuse of power or company resources.
Netizens expressed shock upon learning that a 13-year-old had access to the intricately designed software's privacy profiling of its users' database. One fan wrote on X:
"How did she even get access to their info omg thats crazy"
Netizens were alarmed and expressed mixed reactions. Some tried to make light of the situation, suggesting it was a classic case of a kid trying to "rebel" against her parents by hacking the family computer to defend Wonyoung.
"When you hack the family computer to rebel against your parents but your dad runs baidu," a fan wrote.
"That's why I don't trust Chinese apps, what do you mean the daughter of VP has access to the personal data," another fan wrote.
"More important question is why did a 13yo daughter of the VP have access to all that data?" another fan added.
Others highlighted the seriousness of the issues, emphasizing how the safety of the pregnant woman and 100 other individuals was compromised when their personal information was leaked online.
"Has the comment section gone mad? initially, the pregnant woman merely commented that it's not hard for JWY to travel in first class for their schedules. After her information was disclosed, she was viciously attacked by fans of JWY and her family was harassed," a fan wrote.
"This is why we can't have nice things or secure personal data," another fan stated.
"Things really went south fast. Leaking personal info over an online argument is wild," another fan wrote.
Baidu browser vulnerabilities and history of users' privacy breaches amidst IVE's Wonyoung controversy
The recent controversy involving Baidu and IVE's Wonyoung has shed light on the Chinese browser's history of privacy breaches. In 2002, CNET reported that users trying to access Google were redirected to Baidu's website after a service outage. This redirection lasted nearly two weeks, compelling many to switch to Baidu. Although access to Google was eventually restored, its services continued to be unstable in mainland China afterward.
On October 18, 2007, search engines such as Google, Windows Live Search, and Yahoo! Kimo Search were hijacked and redirected to Baidu's domain. This represented a major breach controversy.
In 2015, REED SMITH reported that a user from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, sued Baidu. Ms. Zhu Ye, the user, accused Baidu of unauthorized tracking of her search queries related to medical procedures. She also claimed that Baidu recorded her search terms without consent and used this data to display targeted advertisements on other websites. The case went through two trials, with Baidu losing the first and winning the second.
A comprehensive study by The Citizen Lab in 2016 uncovered alarming security vulnerabilities in Baidu's web browser for Windows and Android platforms. The research revealed that the browser transmitted personal user data to Baidu servers without proper encryption, making it vulnerable to interception by malicious entities.
Additionally, the browser’s software update system lacked support for digital signatures, meaning it was susceptible to a man-in-the-middle attack that could execute unauthorized code during updates. In 2020, Forbes reported that cybersecurity researchers discovered certain Baidu applications transmitting sensitive data from millions of Android devices to servers in China.
This data included precise location information and device identifiers, which could be exploited for tracking purposes. Consequently, Google removed these Baidu apps from the Google Play Store.
In 2022, allegations emerged that Baidu Netdisk used manual reviewers who could access user-uploaded photos. Although Baidu officially denied these claims, the incident raised concerns about potential unauthorized access to personal data.
A 2023 study by Cornell University, published by ARXIV, examined the security practices of mini-apps within major super-app platforms, including Baidu. The research found that several Baidu mini-apps leaked developer secrets, leading to potential security and privacy issues for both developers and users.
In other news, IVE released their third Korean EP, Empathy, on February 3, 2025. The mini-album includes tracks like Rebel Heart, Flu, You Wanna Cry, Thank U, Attitude, and TKO.
