The Personal Information Protection Law protects people’s personal data. VCG
In the weeks leading up to this year’s Double Eleven shopping festival, Peng Ling, a college student, received numerous advertising messages on her phone. The confusing thing was that some online shops were new to her. “I never bought things from some of the shops, so how could they know my phone number?” Peng told CCTV News.
临近今年双十一购物节的几周里，大学生彭玲的手机收到很多广告短信。让她困惑的是，有些广告来自陌生的网店。“其中有些商家我还没有买过，它们怎么知道我电话号码的?”彭玲在接受央视新闻采访时表示。
When our personal information is leaked for the purpose of marketing, it can be quite annoying. But it would be even worse if our data is used for much more serious acts, such as communication fraud.
我们的个人信息被泄露给商家做营销，这相当令人恼怒。但如果我们的数据被用于如电信诈骗等更严重的行为，情况会更糟。
On Nov 1, the Personal Information Protection Law came into effect in China. The law has detailed rules to strengthen the protection of personal information.
《个人信息保护法》自11月1日起在中国生效实施。该法律制定了详细的条款，以加强个人信息保护。
The law defines personal information as any kind of information about people who are or can be identified, in electronic or other form. So a person’s name, date of birth, ID number, address and phone number are all personal information.
《个人信息保护法》将个人信息定义为以电子或者其他方式记录的与已识别或者可识别的自然人有关的各种信息，包括电子或其他形式的信息。所以一个人的姓名、出生日期、身份证号码、地址和电话号码都是个人信息。
There are also some kinds of personal information that are regarded as “sensitive”, such as fingerprints, faces, religious beliefs, medical health, financial accounts and all data relating to minors under 14.
还有一些种类的个人信息被认定为敏感个人信息，包括指纹、面孔、宗教信仰、医疗健康、金融账户以及不满十四周岁未成年人的所有个人信息。
According to the law, activities such as collecting, using, processing and trading of personal information will be strictly regulated. One key rule is that those handling personal information should inform users and get permission. For sensitive information, there are stricter rules on related activities. For example, in the case of a minor, approval from their parents is required.
根据《个人信息保护法》规定，个人信息的收集、使用、加工和买卖等活动将受到严格规制。其中一个关键原则是，个人信息处理者在处理个人信息前，应当告知个人，并取得个人的同意。对处理敏感个人信息的活动，法律将作出更加严格的限制。例如，个人信息保护法要求，处理不满十四周岁未成年人个人信息，应当取得未成年人的父母（或者其他监护人）的同意。
Many apps would collect users’ information even when the app was not in use. They could access the phonebook, photos, turn on the microphone and get the users’ location. That’s why protection of personal information is needed, according to Zhou Hanhua, a researcher with the Institute of Law of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
中国社会科学院法学研究所副所长周汉华表示，因为后台有无数的APP在采集用户的信息、调取通讯录、读取照片、打开麦克风、精准定位用户的位置等等，所以这就是要保护个人信息的原因。
For individuals, it’s important to raise awareness of protecting personal information, as China Consumers Association suggested. Individuals need to fully understand the requests for personal information. If it’s not necessary, don’t agree. If you find that your personal data has been used illegally, you can report to consumer councils or cyberspace administrations with evidence.
中国消费者协会建议，对于消费者个人来说，提高个人信息保护的意识很重要。个人需要充分了解经营者收集使用个人信息的请求。如果该请求没有必要，个人就不要同意。如果消费者个人发现个人信息被非法使用，可以向消费者委员会或网络管理部门报告证据。
