 Protection of personal details
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-06 08:01 It is right to punish those who misuse the personal information of citizens, says an article in the Beijing News. The following is an excerpt: The draft of the latest amendments to the Criminal Law, submitted to the Standing Committee of National People's Congress, clearly stipulates that government workers or workers in entities like finance, telecommunications, transportation, education and hospitals should be sentenced to as much as three years in prison or detained if they trade the personal information of citizens for profit or disclose it unlawfully to others or illegally obtain it by stealing or purchasing. The amendments are in accordance with the realistic needs for social progress. In today's information age, personal information searches are becoming simple. Accordingly, some government bodies and companies are gathering more and more personal information about citizens for their management needs. It would be quite easy to lose control of it if no strict measures are put in place on its usage, storage and destruction. If people who sell personal information for money or even adopt illegal means to obtain it can escape, the practice will become more rampant. There are already signs of this happening. The draft amendments to the Criminal Law are therefore timely. It focuses more on government workers than on ordinary citizens, as it is much easier for the former, to obtain personal information. It requires them to abide by their professional ethics and protect the credibility of government. Nevertheless, it does not mean others should not be held criminally accountable if they commit the same offense. In fact, a consulting company in Guangzhou made headlines not long ago for stealing documents related to 2 million home owners. In July after the college entrance exam, someone sold a list of names of students failing the exam. While the list obviously came from the educational sector, people involved in selling and buying this list should be punished. (China Daily 09/06/2008 page4) |
