90% worry privacy divulged: Survey
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-06-05 16:49
A national survey shows that 91.8 percent of respondents are worried their
private information can too easily be divulged and misused, and 74.0 percent
said legislation to protect privacy should be enhanced.
The survey, jointly launched by a national newspaper China Youth Daily and
one of the country's influential websites, WWW.Sina.com in May, had 4,003
respondents.
The survey showed 39.8 percent of the respondents regularly received
unsolicited calls or short text messages from companies trying to sell them
something. Just over 53 percent of respondents said they occasionally received
such calls or messages.
Respondents were shocked and upset that these unwelcome solicitors knew so
much personal information. Respondents said some companies not only knew their
name, mobile phone number, work unit, income and identification card number, but
also the birthday of their child, the direction their apartment faces and the
license number and brand of their newly bought car.
At a website, called "Souren" or "personal search", the personal information
of 90 million people can be easily searched, revealing telephone numbers,
addresses, work units and phone numbers.
In its conclusion the survey organizers said government departments were to
blame. "Tempted by personal gain, people and departments with access to this
information sell it to commercial entities seeking customers."
During the annual session of the National People's Congress last year and
this year some lawmakers called for enhanced legislation to protect personal
information .
Zhang Xuedong, a NPC deputy, said "the personal information protection law is
extremely urgent."
China started the drafting of a personal information protection law in 2003
but it has yet to be listed in the NPC's five-year legislation plan.
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