China eyes protecting online personal information via legislation

 BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- A draft bill on strengthening Internet information protection will formally be tabled for deliberation at a bimonthly session of China's legislature set to open on Monday.

Widely hailed by Internet and telecom experts and online commentators¹, the long-awaited move comes amid China's efforts to secure citizens' personal information from becoming prey² to illegality.

Behind China's surging online scam, fraud and identity theft in recent years has been a rapidly growing Internet sector³ and a lagged-behind law system for personal information protection, according to analysts⁴.

A public security ministry⁵ statement released on Friday showed how Internet information can be abused by unveiling real cases.

On April 7, an Internet user surnamed Sun in east China's Wuxi City was shocked to know around 47,000 yuan (around 7,400 U.S. dollars) was transferred out of his Internet bank account nine times that day.

Police investigations⁶ found the money all went to an unverified personal account with a popular online payment service that the culprit registered on the same day.

The culprit spent the sum in buying Internet virtual currency in order to launder⁷ the money he illicitly⁸ obtained.

It took time for police to ascertain⁹ the real identity of the suspect because no real name was provided in the online payment account registration¹⁰.

Surnamed Liu, the suspect was finally apprehended¹¹ in northeast China's Liaoning Province, according to the ministry statement.

In another case unveiled by police, in 2011, a businesswoman in south China's Nanning City was swindled out of 380,000 yuan via QQ, an online instant massaging¹² service, by someone who pretended to be her son who is studying in London.

China has reported soaring QQ-related scams since 2009, as criminal suspects became increasingly "professional" in online cheating, according to police authorities.

Criminal suspects stole QQ passwords of a chat-mate during chatting with others indiscriminately, police said. Meanwhile, they used software to capture videos and images of the prey.

In their following step, the suspects logged online with the QQ password to cheat the original user's friends online.

Police said in some cases it is difficult to trace the suspects when they use unregistered mobile phone cards and wireless¹³ network cards as well as fake credit cards for online fraud.

In a high-profile crackdown on criminal activities related to personal information launched in April, police across the country uncovered 44 "sources" that sold citizens' identity.

During the campaign, police in Changsha City cracked a personal information trade ring self-proclaimed as "China Resources Department."

The Illegal group's computers stored more than 150 million entries of personal information, with particulars from names, phone numbers, addresses, real estate, vehicles, phone records, to flight records.

"The lack of a sound law system to protect personal information in China is a serious problem," said Li Yuxiao, an expert in Internet management and law studies with Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

He said the country should quicken legislation moves to toughen the fight on infringement¹⁴ upon privacy.

Zhou Hanhua, a law research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), said that under current laws, it is hard to bring those who illegally seek profit from abuse of citizens' personal information to justice.

Current laws failed to give clear judicial¹⁵ interpretations¹⁶ on law application and punishment measurement regarding crimes of Internet information in many cases, according to police officials.

Besides upgrading China's laws, the Internet users themselves should also improve their own awareness¹⁷ of safeguarding privacy of their own and others, wrote Liu Huawen, a law expert with the CASS.

1 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

7 launder   

v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）

参考例句：

• She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。
• The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

8 illicitly   

违法地，不正地

参考例句：

• That substance illicitly to fool quality-inspection testers because it can mimic the properties of protein. 乳制品之所以添加三聚氰胺是因为它可以虚增蛋白质含量、在质量测试中蒙混过关。
• Western governments international bodies should police Gaza's borders and crossing-points to stop weapons illicitly coming in. 西方政府和国际组织应该巡查加沙边界和交叉区域，阻止武器的非法流入。

9 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

10 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

11 apprehended   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• She apprehended the complicated law very quickly. 她很快理解了复杂的法律。
• The police apprehended the criminal. 警察逮捕了罪犯。

12 massaging   

按摩，推拿( massage的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He watched the prisoner massaging his freed wrists. 他看着那个犯人不断揉搓着刚松开的两只手腕。
• Massaging your leg will ease the cramp. 推拿大腿可解除抽筋。

13 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

14 infringement   

n.违反；侵权

参考例句：

• Infringement of this regulation would automatically rule you out of the championship.违背这一规则会被自动取消参加锦标赛的资格。
• The committee ruled that the US ban constituted an infringement of free trade.委员会裁定美国的禁令对自由贸易构成了侵犯

15 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

16 interpretations   

n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解

参考例句：

• This passage is open to a variety of interpretations. 这篇文章可以有各种不同的解释。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The involved and abstruse passage makes several interpretations possible. 这段艰涩的文字可以作出好几种解释。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。