Personal information in peril

A law is urgently needed to crack down on abuse of personal information and to protect the interest of Internet users

The arrest of two foreign corporate investigators on suspicion of illegally obtaining personal information and selling them to clients for "high prices" has hit international headlines. British national Peter Humphrey and his wife Yu Yingzeng, an American citizen, co-founders of ChinaWhys, are said to have bought or used other methods to collect the personal information of Chinese citizens, including their addresses, family members' names, travel details, and property and car ownership records.

The lack of proper regulation in China makes it difficult to prevent the misuse or abuse of personal information, which is a violation of people's right to privacy and should be punishable by law.