GENEVA, March 14, 2024 -- China has made significant progress in the protection of privacy rights, Gong Xianghe, an expert from China's Southeast University, said here on Wednesday during the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Gong, on behalf of the China Society for Human Rights Studies, said privacy is a fundamental human right and a key element in the protection of human dignity.
Calling the Personal Information Protection Law enacted in 2021 in China "a milestone," Gong said the law provided a comprehensive legal framework for the protection of personal information and thus helped protect the people's rights to privacy.
Before that, the Cybersecurity Law that entered into force in 2017 secured people's rights to privacy by establishing strict rules for personal data protection, he added.
Moreover, the Civil Code that took effect in 2021 dedicated a standalone chapter with eight articles to the rights to privacy, said Gong, adding that the Criminal Law also has provisions that protect citizens' privacy from being violated.
Although the rights to privacy in China is a newly developed legal concept, China has so far enacted a range of laws, said Gong. He added that as China aligns itself with international standards in data protection, these legislations have effectively responded to the domestic demands for privacy protection.
