China expands the use of tracking apps to help slow of the spread of the coronavirus but privacy concerns grow.
That was seen as far too invasive, setting off a fire storm of criticism from thousands of users on Twitter-like Weibo and fuelling debate about privacy and data security - a debate that comes just as China is poised to enshrine individuals’ rights to privacy and personal data for the first time as part of the country’s first civil code.
Online personal data is easily bought and sold in China and the likelihood of personal information being hacked was also a major concern.Ma Ce, a lawyer based in Hangzhou who tracks policy law, said users had the right to demand that data collected to prevent the spread of the coronavirus be destroyed once the crisis is over due to the risk of it being leaked out.
The southern city of Guangzhou has expanded its health code platform to include services that help residents book online consultations with local hospitals and buy face masks. Fujian province has said it wants to expand its QR codes to encompass medical treatment and drug purchases. On one hand, the new rights which will enable individuals to take action if data is leaked are set to be approved after deliberations by China’s annual meeting of parliament which began on Friday.
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