People have the right to privacy

ON WEDNESDAY, Qihoo 360 Technology announced it would permanently shut down its Jia livestreaming platform, which has been embroiled in controversy for the past several weeks, because people could watch other people go about their daily lives without their consent via the free cameras installed by the company. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

The nightmare scenario of people being watched wherever they went and whatever they did, without being aware of those watching them, came true thanks to Qihoo 360 Technology’s livestreaming platform.

The company installed cameras in restaurants, gyms, and cafeterias for free, and livestreamed the video on its platform without the people’s consent. Sometimes they discussed the whole thing with the restaurant owners, but the consent of those who were being livestreamed was never sought.

Doubtlessly, the livestreaming platform of Qihoo has violated people’s right to privacy. Some argue that certain restaurants have posted notices in their rooms, informing people they were being livestreamed, but that’s no excuse for violating people’s privacy.

Currently Qihoo has shut down its livestreaming

platform and shifted its main business to on-campus security by helping more schools to install free cameras. That’s a positive move to try and mend the fence.

Technology companies must learn that their technology should be used to better protect people’s privacy, instead of violating it.

Besides, the gym, restaurant and cafeteria owners should also learn more about the law. They can install cameras in their shops for security reasons, but the video they shoot is about customers’ privacy and must be protected from being misused, let alone being put online for livestreaming.

We hope more technology companies and businesses learn a lesson from this incident.

We also hope the laws on the internet are further improved, so that similar invasions of privacy do not occur in the future.