“China considers the data of the fourth factor of production along with labor, capital and land. The country creates a centralized collection and trade in personal information. Darknet-playing sites sell full dossier from a few dollars to thousands or more. The Chinese approach to centralization of data is a challenge for the democratic world. Thanks to 1.1 billion Internet users and active digital policy China […]”, – WRITE: Businessua.com.ua
- China considers the data of the fourth factor of production along with labor, capital and land.
- The country creates a centralized collection and trade in personal information.
- Darknet-playing sites sell full dossier from a few dollars to thousands or more.
- The Chinese approach to centralization of data is a challenge for the democratic world.
Thanks to 1.1 billion Internet users and active digital policy, China has become a world leader in the amount of data created. According to The Economist, the government treats information as a strategic resource at a level with classic factors of production.
Facial recognition systems and centralized personal data bases are integrated not only into the economy but also into state security. This puts calls to countries with a liberal government model.
China Si Jinping was the basis of competitiveness. According to him, the circulation of information covers the range of spheres-from the protection of human rights to income of IT companies and the ambitions of China in the AI.
In 2021, Beijing introduced rules inspired GDPRbut now the course has changed: there is a centralization of information circulation, a program of digitization and monetization of data arrays in state companies is being implemented. On June 3, all levels of power are required to share data.
On July 15, a national digital identifier that will allow the state to see a complete list of sites and applications that every citizen interacts with.
For large technological players, this means loss of direct access to personal information: they will only have an anonymous amount of data. As a result, the National Ocean of Data is formed – the only information resource for AI, business and the state.
Expected advantages: cheaper training in AI models, relief of entry for startups. The main defect is the inefficiency of the centralized model of management.
In 2022, hackers stole more than 1 billion records from the Shanghai police bases containing names, addresses, ID codes, phones and more. This base was put up for sale for 10 BTC – several cents for a full dossier.
How much do personal data cost Due to the weak protection of databases, millions of profiles are free or semi -legal.
Simple social networks cost a few dollars, full bank dossier – thousands. Sellers are most often insiders from state structures and contractors who resell data through closed channels. Calculations – in cryptocurrencies.
The report showed that you can learn about flights, hotels or even human geolocation. In 2024, the full dossier cost from $ 20 to $ 100. The value of such kits is ready for fraud or theft of a person.
There are services that provide official information on request: address history, marriage status, passport scan. The condition is a connection with officials. They are offered a reward of up to $ 10,000 a day for showing information.
Contact bases are cheap: millions of e-mail or phones can be purchased for $ 10. Excessive supply reduces prices: in 2014, the basic information about the person cost $ 4, and in 2015 – $ 1.
Logins and passwords In the black market, compromised accounts of popular services are widely represented. The price depends on the number of subscribers, tied payment methods, etc.
According to Privacy Affairs report, a broken Gmail account is on average for ~ $ 60 and Facebook or Instagram accounts are $ 25 25. The low cost is due to the scale of leaks – in circulation millions of stolen logins and passwords.
More niche or privileged accounts are more expensive: a broken Uber driver account is rated at ~ $ 30 and the “pumped” Airbnb account – about $ 300.
Financial data Even basic information (card number, CVV, the duration and name of the owner) can be put up for sale – though cheap when it comes to old origins. On shadow forums, the stolen room can cost ~ $ 3. The full set of card data with a balance of up to $ 5000 is estimated at about $ 110-120.
Access directly to online banking is even more expensive. Small balance accounts (up to ~ $ 1000) can be sold at $ 200-500 and accounts with high amounts – over $ 1000. Fully verified payment systems and cryptocurrencies can cost more than a thousand dollars: broken Revolut account – ~ $ 1600, Kraken – ~ $ 1170, Coinbase – $ 250.
Health care Medical data are considered one of the most sensitive and remain expensive in the black market. Electronic medical cards contain not only personal information, but also the history of diseases, results of analyzes, insurance data. They can be used for fraud or blackmail. It is estimated that the average cost of records in Darknet is ~ $ 250, and in some cases – $ 500–1000.
In 2024, the average market price of medical data was about $ 60. The US Social Security Number was sold for $ 15 and credit card data for $ 3.
Healthcare data are evaluated several times higher than “ordinary”. Qualys head noted that the leakage of medical data is “much worse than most”, and the attackers understand it well.
Biometry In 2025, demand for biometric identifiers increased. Previously, passwords and documents were mostly in circulation, now cybercriminals are hunting that a person cannot change – fingerprints, face images, voice samples, iris.
Specialized forums already sell sets of stolen biometric data: a complete set of fingerprints of a person – for only $ 3-5, digitized image of the face – $ 5-10. If biometry is tied to a financial account, the cost can reach $ 25–100.
Addresses The black market also sells home addresses, birthdays, tax identifiers, insurance policies, information about the place of work, education, etc. Basic personal data without financial information – for example, lists of clients with names, addresses, email and phones – cost about $ 5-15 per person.
Base from government agencies (for example, voter lists, car owners or taxpayers) also regularly appear on shadow platforms. Their price depends on relevance and volume. For example, the list of voters of one American state was exhibited at ~ $ 100, sometimes similar bases were set out.
Chinese dystopia Many countries are looking for ways to be effective NGO Data Management. According to The Economist, the Trump administration can contact Palantir for centralizing government data. The EU is likely to update GDPR rules. The Aadhaar Indian system focuses on privacy – sometimes at the expense of economic growth.
In democratic countries, it is more difficult to build a large -scale and effective management system – it should take into account the balance of branches of power, property rights and freedoms.
If the PRC demonstrates the economic efficiency of its centralized model, it will be not only an economic but also a political challenge for other countries.
Recall that in June experts found one of the largest data leaks in history – more than 16 billion records. Logins, passwords and other sensitive information of government structures and popular online services, including Facebook, Google, Apple, GitHub and Telegram, were compromised.
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