An Internet portal that is said to hold personal files on 90 million people has caused uproar among netizens and panicked online surfers that fear the information may be made available to the public.
Since early December, Ucloo.com has provided a service nicknamed "souren," meaning searching for a specific person. By paying one yuan (12 US cents) through one's mobile phone, it is possible to find personal information such as telephone numbers, addresses and even details of marital status and credit ratings.
A student was surprised that someone he had never met called him and knew what he had written in his schoolmate address book. Later on, he was told the man obtained his contact details from Ucloo.com.
Another portal called 5460.net has been accused of leaking its pool of 90 million data files on users to Ucloo.com. But those concerned from 5460.net said the company had never authorized Ucloo.com to use its data and it had no idea how the portal had obtained the files.
5460.net, which has a collection of schoolmate address information covering 90 million people, has said it may take Ucloo.com to court.
Under pressure, Ucloo.com has cancelled the charged service and said netizens can use the service through email and apply for corrections of the personal information kept by the portal.
The primary concern is how the portal obtained the data in the first place.
Those in charge of Ucloo.com said they had obtained the data through legal channels and all of the personal information they held had appeared somewhere on public websites. They admitted only a portion of their data came from 5460.net.
If what they said is true, we have reason to remind ourselves that we must use caution whenever we are required to fill in forms on the Internet, such as providing an email address, because that is how personal information enters the public domain.
Personal information is often required if surfers wish to view certain documents or apply for an email address, but websites should have an obligation to keep personal information secret.
Another concern is whether the portal has the right to use the data at all, even if it has obtained contact details by legal means.
Apparently, when such information as a person's phone number, address or even his or her family background or marital status is involved, the person should be contacted for consent before the information is used.
As many reports have revealed, it is obvious those whose personal information has been put on the website have never given consent.
If anyone gets into trouble because of the information provided on the website, the portal will be liable for legal penalties.
A notice on the Ucloo.com website says the firm is registered in the United States, but this does not mean it has the right to provide the service.
This incident indicates that more detailed rules are urgently needed for the management of information on the Internet.
The rise of the Internet has made life and work more convenient, but the risk of invasion of privacy has also increased because of the free flow of information.
