Cybersecurity Law has to be amended to protect individuals

THE LAW ENFORCEMENT inspection team of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislative body, has suggested amending the Cybersecurity Law to strengthen the protection of internet and information security, particularly of individuals. Beijing News commented on Tuesday:

In a report the inspection team submitted to the NPC Standing Committee, it urged the authorities to rethink the scope and method of implementing the real-name registration system, as it found that too many parties were unnecessarily requiring realname identity information.

Although embracing the real-name system is in itself hard-won progress in promoting good governance in cyberspace, the law as it stands overemphasizes the obligation of individuals to provide their personal information without specifying the responsibility of those collecting the data to guarantee the security of the information.