Personal information needs to be better protected by governments

Police officers make a list of bank cards seized in a telecommunication fraud case in Xuchang, Henan province, in January. NIU YUAN/CHINA DAILY

Twenty-eight suspects involved in recent telecom scam cases have been detained by local police in East China's Shandong province and South China's Guangdong province. Their arrest exposed a nationwide network of telecom fraudsters and hackers. The Beijing News commented on Monday:

Xu Yuyu, a prospective college freshman in Linyi of East China's Shandong province, died of heart attack after 9,900 yuan ($1,480) was fraudulently stolen from her in August. It is reported that someone hacked into this year's candidate online registration system for the college entrance examination in Shandong province and stole tens of thousands of candidates' information, including Xu's.

Meanwhile, a nation-wide "industry chain" among fraudsters, hackers and even government officials has gradually received more attention. In Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province, an auxiliary traffic police officer reportedly sold the personal information of more than 20,000 local drivers via WeChat, a popular Chinese social network platform, and illegally raked in over 50,000 yuan.

It is encouraging that the fraudsters blamed for Xu's death have been detained by local police, who had a timely response to public concerns. Yet, the bigger problems have not been solved.

The longevity of the coalition of fraudsters, hackers and other parties involved has much to do with the poor management of our personal information. Perhaps collecting people's personal information can enhance the efficiency of social governance. However, people may constantly feel insecure knowing their information is under insufficient protection, as the three latest telecom fraud cases unveiled.

Personal information needs to be better protected, as there are several loopholes in data management that can be exploited. In many aspects, whether reluctant or inapt, information collectors and managers have done little to fulfill their duties. As a result, an increasing number of people's information has been stolen, leaked or traded.

In this regard, all levels of government should shoulder the responsibility to protect all citizens' personal information, and incompetent officials who leak information should be held accountable.