Better protection of personal information needed

Recently an express delivery company in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, transferred 1.8 million delivery records to the local authorities for destruction — a good move toward better protection of personal information, says an editorial on Beijing News. Excerpts:

Two tons of paper will be destroyed. What makes the paper special is the content — the delivery records of an express delivery company, every piece of which contains personal information, like telephone numbers and addresses.

Living in the information age, we must be extremely careful about possible identity thefts. There have already been several extreme cases, in which murder resulted when a delivery slip fell into the wrong hands. In other cases, express delivery employees have sold records containing personal information online.

In recent years, China has made progress in protecting personal information. In 2009, an amendment to the criminal code added stealing personal information. In February, China further introduced national standards on personal information protection. But these laws need detailed implementation measures.

That's why the recent action in Suzhou sets a good example. Hopefully, more cities will follow in protecting personal information, which is so vulnerable in this information age.