New cybersecurity mechanism aims to fight leaks, abuse

A cross-department and long-term mechanism has been established in China as a new move to fight crimes against personal privacy and data security, the Cybersecurity Bureau under the Ministry of Public Security said on Wednesday.

Increasing joint efforts in governing cyberspace, the mechanism will play a role in solving problems related to leaking or harming personal information from its source, as well as promoting the capability of government agencies and enterprises in protecting data security, the bureau said in a statement posted on its official WeChat account.

With the ministry and the Cyberspace Administration of China taking the leading role, the mechanism involves the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Market Regulation, it said.

According to the statement, the authorities also will improve industry supervision and enhance public awareness of data protection, and intensify prevention of misuse or abuse of personal information.

Since 2016, Chinese police have cracked more than 17,000 criminal cases involving the abuse of personal information and caught over 3,000 suspects, China Police Daily reported on Wednesday.

Zhang Yesui, spokesman of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, said last year that the NPC Standing Committee put legislation on personal information protection on its agenda, adding relevant departments and agencies have worked on the law's draft.