Judicial Officials Clarify Law To Fight Info Theft, Fraud

Individuals who earned 5,000 yuan ($724) or more by illegally selling others' personal information will face up to three years behind bars, according to a judicial interpretation jointly issued by the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate on Tuesday.

Those who illegally obtain, sell or provide 500 pieces of data related to personal credit or property information could face a prison term of up to seven years, the new rule stipulates.

The judicial interpretation, to take effect on June 1, is crucial to fighting the trafficking of personal data, and also a key way for the top court to combat telecom and online fraud, a senior judge said.