Personal Data No Longer Up for Grabs as Regulators Crack Down on Abuse

What’s new: More than 1,500 individuals have been punished for abuse of personal information related to the pandemic this year, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security.

This year, Chinese police launched a “Clean Net 2020” campaign to crack down on privacy violations. As of Dec. 20, more than 3,100 cases were logged and 9,700 suspects arrested.

Why it matters: Public concerns have been raised over privacy as personal information has been widely collected for location tracking in an effort to curb levels of coronavirus infection in the country.

In response to the illegal use of personal information, China’s top lawmakers introduced a draft law on personal data protection in October with a maximum fine of 50 million yuan ($7.42 million) for anyone illegally handling personal data. Once promulgated, the legislation will mark the first time China has regulated access to online shopping records, biometric features and other personal data.

At local level, cities have taken action to protect personal information. In the city of Hangzhou in East China’s Zhejiang province, the local government has been considering restricting the use of facial recognition in residential areas, a sign that public angst over the potentially intrusive technology is starting to inform government policy.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use.

Contact editor Heather Mowbray (heathermowbray@caixin.com)