Renmin University graduate detained for invasion of privacy

A graduate of Renmin University of China has been detained by Beijing police for allegedly illegally obtaining personal information of students enrolled at the university, the police said on Monday.

The public security department in the capital's Haidian district said on its Sina Weibo post that the graduate is surnamed Ma and the case is under investigation.

Police pay great attention to protecting people's personal information and will strictly crack down on related misconducts and crimes, the post said.

On Saturday, a Weibo user claimed a graduate of the university has obtained student ID photos along with other personal information and created a website so people can rate students' appearance based on the photos.

The stolen data includes students' names, ID numbers, birthplaces and date of birth.

The post also claimed the student graduated from the university in 2019 with a master's degree in information technology and works at Tencent.

The incident quickly became a trending topic on Sina Weibo over the weekend, and netizens have asked for the graduate to be held accountable.

Renmin University of China said in a statement on Sunday that it is cooperating with a police investigation after it learned of the incident.

The university vehemently opposes any behavior that violates personal information and harms information safety, the statement added.