Govts wrong to reveal residents' personal info on their websites

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, the personal information of local residents, from their identification card numbers and mobile phone numbers to addresses, are revealed in a host of documents that can be viewed on various government websites across the country. Such personal information, including that of people receiving financial aid, has been disclosed online without their consent. Legal Daily commented on Saturday:

Governments at all levels are right to disclose their work online, so long as they are careful with what they choose to make public. Divulging the personal information of local residents without their consent risks damaging government credibility.

On the one hand, it is praiseworthy that more local governments publish how they spend public funds on their websites. On the other hand, disclosing citizens' information without informing them in advance goes against the intention of supervising the use of public power, not least when there are specific rules about it.