Top court spotlights patient data theft, celebrity travel info leaks

Several employees of a software company were sentenced and fined after being found guilty of stealing patients' information for personal gain while developing an online system for a hospital, according to China's top court.

In a notable case unveiled by the Supreme People's Court on Friday, staff members of a software company in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, were tasked with creating and developing an appointment system for a local hospital between 2015 and 2020.

During the process, an employee surnamed He collected patients' personal information and enlisted two colleagues, surnamed Xiong and Luo, to input the data into the company's database. In early 2021, Xiong conspired with others to establish a channel that transferred patients' personal information from the hospital to the database.

Following an investigation, authorities found that the group had illegally obtained more than 2.8 million pieces of personal information.

A court in Wuxi found all those involved guilty of infringing on personal information rights, describing the circumstances as "extremely serious". Based on their roles and the severity of their conduct, the court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 18 months to five years and six months, along with fines.

The Supreme People's Court also disclosed a major case in which defendants exploited their positions in the railway sector to sell celebrities' travel information for profit, underscoring the importance of protecting data security and addressing such breaches.

In one example, a railway station employee surnamed Chen in Foshan, Guangdong province, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison and fined for using his position to illegally obtain and sell passengers' personal information, including that of pop stars. Chen's illegal earnings totaled about 190,000 yuan ($28,000).

The Supreme People's Court said Chen's actions seriously violated industry ethical standards, emphasizing that disclosing individuals' whereabouts, whether they are ordinary citizens or public figures, poses significant risks to their personal and property safety.

The court urged courts nationwide to continue imposing severe penalties on violators, reaffirming their commitment to protecting personal information and safeguarding public interests.