Company 'ghosts' must be exorcised with deterrents to prevent data theft

HUAZHU, China's largest chain hotel group with more than 3,700 hotels nationwide, recently reported to the Shanghai police that the personal information of its 130 million customers, including their names, identity card numbers, cellphone numbers and boarding details, are being sold online at a price of 320,000 yuan ($46,957). ThePaper.cn comments:

Although the police said its ongoing investigation has not yet revealed which parties are behind the large scale leaking and selling of personal information, Huazhu, as the collector of the data, has to accept that it bears some responsibility, as it is obliged to ensure the information is secure.

The information is apparently of tremendous commercial value to the buyers who mine and process the data and sell it to internet-related service companies that are eager to reach out to targeted customers. Such a large scale leak and trade in personal information, which involves 10 percent of the national population, deserves the public security department's high attention.