Two Sessions Photo:Xinhua

More than 4,000 criminal cases related to personal information were resolved in China during 2021, surging 60.2 percent year-on-year, according to a work report delivered by the Supreme People's Court (SPC) at the second plenary meeting of the fifth session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, on Tuesday. 

The rise in personal information cases is a reflection of China's strengthened efforts to protect data security, as the problem of information leaks has become an increasingly sensitive issue at a time when the use of the internet has become ubiquitous.

According to the work report delivered by Zhou Qiang, president of the SPC, domestic courts investigated and resolved 4,098 cases involving infringement of citizens' personal information, including the illegal trade of personal identities, WeChat accounts, patient information and so forth. 

China also severely punished industrial "black sheep" responsible for leaking personal information, while cracking down on those who have procured personal information via illegal methods, including fraud.

Toughened crackdown on crimes related to personal information comes at a time when the country is beefing up efforts to protect individual information. In November 2021, the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) came into effect, which, complementing existing laws, established a broader legal framework for cybersecurity and data privacy protection in China.

According to the PIPL, companies and individuals may face a maximum fine of 1 million yuan ($158,321), if they fail to remedy conduct found to be in violation of the law. 

China also passed the Data Security Law and the Security Protection Regulations on Critical Information Infrastructure in 2021. 

"The rollout of private information protection legislation enables a more forceful crackdown on violations, as a lot of personal information-related crimes had not been severely punished," technology analyst Fu Liang told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

According to Fu, the participation of many online platforms and online safety companies in combating private information misuse should have also led to an increase in relevant cases.

Regulators also toughened security management for online platforms. Last year, multiple government departments sent officials to conduct a cybersecurity review of ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, which had been removed from app stores for illegally collecting personal information following a public backlash.

Global Times