CPPCC Members Call for Laws on Personal Data Security

You might get annoyed with calls from interior decoration companies when you've just bought a property and have no key yet. Or maybe with calls from insurance and training companies when you just sent out your resume and haven't received an interview notice yet. Or how about calls from milk powder manufacturers early childhood education institutions or maternal-neonatal services salespersons when you are going to give birth？

All these harassments you may encounter in daily life have now been drafted in proposals by members of the 11th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Yesterday personal information security became a hot topic among CPPCC members who proposed the legislative protection of personal data.

In the case of the ID-based ticketing policy implemented at railway stations all over the country starting Spring Festival 2012 CPPCC member Deng Rishen also president of Hong Kong Richcom Audio Video Group commented on how the new rule helps to crack down on illegal sales of train tickets as well as crimes on trains but he expressed his concern over the leaking of ticket holders' ID-information since such ticket information can be easily scanned or tracked online.

To handle this problem railway authorities currently only have staff notifying passengers to keep their ID-based tickets as safe as they can just like how they keep their ID-cards copies safe, Deng said.

He added that the leaking of personal data is not only an infringement upon personal privacy but is also increasingly interfering with people's normal life to the extent of becoming unbearable.

This type of leak presents criminals with a golden opportunity Deng said. When a criminal seizes a person's exact ID-information the victim will lose the ability to protect himself which will bring along with it numerous socially harmful consequences.

CPPCC member Weng Guoxing agreed with Deng that the leaking of ID-information will present an outstanding opportunity for fraud.

Deng quoted the Canadian "Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector" enacted in 1993 by saying that personal data of another person shall not be collected without consent from the person and personal sensitive data including race religion and marital status shall not be collected without the person's written consent; anyone who infringes upon personal information of another person shall bear administrative civil or criminal liabilities.

So far more than 50 countries and regions have enacted laws and regulations on the protection of personal data. In China the "Criminal Act of 2009" punishes the leaking of the personal information of another person and the "General Principles of the Civil Law" also stipulate the protection of personal privacy. However these provisions are abstract fragments that lack operability in everyday social life.

Moreover personal information protection has not entered legislative procedures since its first draft 6 years ago.

The two CPPCC members proposed to build sound rules and regulations on personal information security and urged governmental authorities to establish a special supervision agency aimed at cracking down on the industrial chain of the illegal personal data market. They also called for improved technologies on personal data protection and increased public awareness through more campaigning.