University deliberates plan to inspect phones, computers for illegal files

A notice from a university in Guilin, South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has ignited heated debates on the Chinese internet.

The notice from Guilin University of Electronic Technology said the school would check the mobile phones, computers and external hard drives of its faculty and students in order to eradicate illegal videos and audio involving violence, terrorism and obscenity.

An official of the university surnamed Chen confirmed the veracity of the photocopy of the notification that began to circulate online on Tuesday, according to news website thepaper.cn.

Another official surnamed Jiang, who is responsible for the approval and implementation of the operation, claimed that the order has not been implemented yet.

Netizens questioned whether the university is entitled to check students’ personal items. “The action is a severe violation of individual privacy.

“The notice is currently under deliberation, and the inspection scope might be narrowed considering the work will potentially violate students’ individual privacy,” said Jiang.

Lin Ming (pseudonym), a student of the university, told thepaper.cn that the notice has not been implemented yet.

A lawyer with the Shanghai Greroyalt Law Firm said the inspection violates people’s right of privacy. He said people’s privacy of correspondence should not be violated except for inspections carried out by the security authorities for national security concerns or tracking down criminals according to the procedures prescribed by the law.