That meant selling information to virtually anyone--inventory-tracking data to car dealers, load-matching service to truckers, coupon-printing kiosks to grocery stores and fire-alert information to forestry services.
Since the death of an old woman in a fire, the council has prodded social workers, police and fire fighters to alert each other to the needs of the most vulnerable.
The Chinese Defence Ministry, in its statement, said that in each incident, the Chinese vessel "kept normal observation and alert, and fire control radar was not used".