CRI听力:China Mulls Draft Protecting Personal Info Online

The draft decision says the country will protect digital information that could be used to determine the identity of a user or that which concerns a user's privacy. The decision has the same legal effect as a law once it is adopted.

It says network service providers and other government-sponsored institutions and companies should strictly ensure the privacy of personal digital information.

The move comes as the number of internet users in China has surpassed 500 million.
As more people are using the internet to make purchases, socialize or study, the information that they type in, including their names, addresses and ID numbers, may be seized by criminals to be traded as commodities.

Li Fei, deputy director of the legislative office of the State Council, explained the draft decision to the standing committee of the National People's Congress on Monday.

"Network service providers should take effective measures to ensure the safety of a citizen's personal digital information. In the event of an information leakage or loss, they should take immediate steps to remedy the situation. Government department and their staff have the obligation to safeguard the personal information they have gathered in fulfilling their duties."

Li Fei says network service providers and other government-sponsored institutions and companies should make clear the purpose and method of information gathering, as well as the intended usage of the information. More importantly, they should first gain permission from the person involved.

Li Fei adds the leakage of personal information has not only brought disruptions to people's lives, but have caused criminal cases in some extreme situations. Then it is important to give a citizen the right to report and sue in order to protect their legitimate interests.

"A citizen has the right to ask the network service providers to delete the personal and privacy information that has been leaked, or take other measures to put a stop to such leakage and spreading."

The draft decision proposes the adoption of an identity management policy requiring Internet users to identify themselves to service providers, including Internet or telecommunications operators.

Li Fei says such identity management could be conducted backstage, allowing users to use different names when publicizing information.

For CRI, I'm Su Yi.