China's legislature adopts online info rules to protect privacy

 BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature on Friday approved rules to enhance the protection of personal information online and safeguard public interests.

The decision on strengthening online information protection, which has the same legal effect as a law, was adopted by lawmakers at the closing meeting of a five-day session of the Standing¹ Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

The move is meant to "ensure Internet information security, safeguard the lawful² rights and interests of citizens, legal entities³ or other organizations, and safeguard national security and public interests," according to the decision.

The 12-article decision includes an identity management policy requiring Internet users to use their real names to identify themselves to service providers, including Internet or telecommunications operators.

"Network service providers will ask users to provide genuine identification information when signing agreements to grant them access to the Internet, fixed-line telephone or mobile telecommunication⁴ services or to allow users to post information publicly," the decision says.

At a press conference on Friday, a senior member of the top legislature allayed⁵ public concern that the new decision could hamper⁶ the exposure of corruption⁷ cases online, public criticism lodged⁸ on the Internet and the supervisory role of the Internet.

Such worries are "unnecessary," said Li Fei, deputy director of the Commission for Legislative⁹ Affairs of the NPC Standing Committee.

"Identity management work can be conducted backstage, allowing users to use different names when posting material publicly," Li said earlier this week while briefing lawmakers on the decision.

Many Internet and telecommunications operators have already put identity management into practice in China. The new decision aims to improve the policy through legislation, according to Li.

By November, almost all fixed-line phone users and 70 percent of mobile phone users have registered with their real names. Unregistered users are mainly owners of prepaid mobile phone cards, figures from the Ministry¹⁰ of Industry and Information Technology show.

Network service providers will strengthen management of information released by users, the decision says.

Service providers are required to immediately stop the transmission of illegal information once it is spotted¹¹ and take relevant measures, including removing the information and saving records, before reporting to supervisory authorities, the decision says.

It empowers supervising departments to take technical and other necessary measures to prevent, stop or punish those who infringe¹² upon online privacy rights, requiring relevant service providers to offer support during investigations¹³.

Citizens who find network information that discloses their identity or infringes¹⁴ upon their own rights, as well as those who are harassed¹⁵ by promotional messages, have the right to demand that service providers delete related information or take other necessary measures to stop such practices, it says.

The decision says authorities will protect digital information that could be used to determine the identity of a user or that which concerns a user's privacy.

It bans all organizations and individuals from obtaining people's personal digital information via theft or other illegal means, and prohibits them from selling or illegally providing the information to others.

Violators can face penalties, including the confiscation¹⁶ of illegal gains, license¹⁷ revocations and website closures, as well as a ban on engaging in the web-related business in the future, according to the decision.

The decision also specifies¹⁸ norms and duties for network service providers regarding the collection, use and protection of citizen's personal digital information.

Service providers will explicitly¹⁹ state their goals, means and scope when collecting or using information, release related rules and obtain users' consent before obtaining the information.

Network service providers and other government-sponsored institutions and companies should strictly²⁰ ensure the privacy of personal digital information, it says.

The decision bans service providers, as well as government agencies and their personnel, from leaking or damaging users' digital information. It also bans them from selling or illegally providing this information to others.

Network service providers are also responsible for taking measures to ensure the safety of information during business activities and adopting countermeasures when information is leaked, damaged or lost, it says.

To tackle surging public complaint regarding spam messages, the decision bans organizations and individuals from sending commercial digital information to fixed-line phones, mobile phones or personal email addresses without users' consent.

The decision also encourages the public to report illegal activity involving online information to supervisory departments.

A rapidly growing Internet industry and a frail²¹ system of laws to protect personal information are behind the increasing amount of online scams, fraud, identity theft and libel in China.

"Necessary management measures lack a legal basis," Li said at the press conference.

By November this year, China's mobile phone users exceeded 1.1 billion, 3G users had reached 220 million and broadband Internet users stood at 174 million, figures from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

3 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

4 telecommunication   

n.电信，远距离通信

参考例句：

• Telecommunication is an industry of service.电信业是一个服务型的行业。
• I only care about the telecommunication quality and the charge.我只关心通信质量和资费两个方面。

5 allayed   

v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His fever is allayed, but his appetite is still flatted. 他发烧减轻了，但食欲仍然不振。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• His fever was allayed by the medicine. 这药剂使他退烧了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 hamper   

vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子

参考例句：

• There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
• The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 lodged   

v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属

参考例句：

• The certificate will have to be lodged at the registry. 证书必须存放在登记处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Our neighbours lodged a complaint against us with the police. 我们的邻居向警方控告我们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

10 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

11 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

12 infringe   

v.违反，触犯，侵害

参考例句：

• The jury ruled that he had infringed no rules.陪审团裁决他没有违反任何规定。
• He occasionally infringe the law by parking near a junction.他因偶尔将车停放在交叉口附近而违反规定。

13 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

14 infringes   

v.违反（规章等）( infringe的第三人称单数 )；侵犯（某人的权利）；侵害（某人的自由、权益等）

参考例句：

• Congressmen may be reluctant to vote for legislation that infringes the traditional prerogatives of the states. 美国国会议员可能不情愿投票拥护侵犯各州传统特权的立法。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• I can't say whether CP21 infringes it or not. 我就不能说CP21是否侵犯了SPOT的专利。 来自企业管理英语口语（第二版）(2)

15 harassed   

adj. 疲倦的，厌烦的 动词harass的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He has complained of being harassed by the police. 他投诉受到警方侵扰。
• harassed mothers with their children 带着孩子的疲惫不堪的母亲们

16 confiscation   

n. 没收, 充公, 征收

参考例句：

• Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 没收一切流亡分子和叛乱分子的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Confiscation of smuggled property is part of the penalty for certain offences. 没收走私财产是对某些犯罪予以惩罚的一部分。

17 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

18 specifies   

v.指定( specify的第三人称单数 )；详述；提出…的条件；使具有特性

参考例句：

• The third clause of the contract specifies steel sashes for the windows. 合同的第三款指定使用钢窗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The contract specifies red tiles, not slates, for the roof. 合同规定屋顶用红瓦，并非石板瓦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

19 explicitly   

ad.明确地，显然地

参考例句：

• The plan does not explicitly endorse the private ownership of land. 该计划没有明确地支持土地私有制。
• SARA amended section 113 to provide explicitly for a right to contribution. 《最高基金修正与再授权法案》修正了第123条，清楚地规定了分配权。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

20 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

21 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。