Privacy Protection in The Big Data Era

People’s Daily January 17

News related to personal information breaches has caused public dismay. Recently, Alipay triggered controversy with a feature detailing spending statistics that automatically enrolled users into the company’s credit rating service, enabling it to access a wide range of user data.

Most apps require users to register, through which process users’ personal information is collected. Sometimes, if users don’t grant access to their personal information, they cannot use the apps.

According to China’s regulations on mobile Internet application services, mobile software should provide private information security protection mechanisms to software users, and the collection and use of personal information should abide by laws and have consent from users. Even so, in the age of big data, private information is frequently leaked for various reasons.

The era of big data need not equal a time without personal privacy, and instead, more efforts should be made for the protection of privacy. Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Cyberspace Administration of China have criticized some companies for their improper extraction of users’ information.

More mobile apps are expected to be part of people’s daily life and public service networks. Internet companies are not supposed to forget their social responsibilities and legal obligations, as in the end, a company that defies moral codes will be jettisoned by users. Meanwhile, it’s urgent for China’s information security and protection measures to catch up with the development of the Internet through the establishment of tougher laws and the enhancement of antileakage technologies. The public should also be more alert to information leaks.