Protection of Privacy

In the digital era, the scope of private information has been substantially expanded to include personal assets, biometric data, internet records and one’s location. Nowadays, internet companies possess huge amounts of personal information because many people are giving away their private information consciously or unconsciously to pursue better and more convenient services. On May 1, 2018, China put into practice its national standards on information security technology and private information, in which specific regulations on the collection, recording, use, sharing and publication of information were made to prevent internet companies from illegally gathering and misusing personal information, as well as to protect the legal rights of individuals. Insiders argued that it will take time to see the effects of the standards, particularly when there is a lack of detailed and stringent punitive measures for enterprises which have crossed the line.