Government needs to combat corruption but also protect privacy

Protecting privacy does not conflict with exposing corruption, says an editorial in the 21st Century Business Herald. Excerpts:

Some local housing administration departments created controversy when they banned searches for citizens’ real estate property ownership in order to protect people’s privacy.

The protection of citizens’ privacy should not be used as an excuse to cover up corrupt officials’ property ownership. Most of the information exposed about corrupt officials is not from common citizens, but sources who have close ties with the officials.

The public should be aware that the new rules help prevent citizens’ personal information from being abused, and officials’ property and wealth should be transparent to the public through other channels.

The central authority of China has reiterated the necessity of constructing an anti-corruption system to rein in power. China built the official property reporting system in the mid-1980s but the system does not function well because the officials’ reports are not verified by a higher authority.

If the property-searching system is opened to all, procedural justice cannot be effectively guaranteed because some information exposed by netizens is inaccurate and misleading.

The housing administration department should not serve as the key party combating graft, despite its special position. It should cooperate more closely with the disciplinary watchdogs of the government to meet the public’s right to know.