A Shanghai court has found four people guilty of selling personal information of celebrities, including flight itineraries and identity card numbers, the Shanghai High People's Court announced on Tuesday.
They sold the personal information of about 15,000 celebrities, earning 7,000 to 23,000 yuan ($965) for each. The Jing'an District People's Court recently convicted them of violating citizens' personal information and sentenced them to between six months' probationary imprisonment (the six months can be avoided if they behave well during the one-year probation period) and three years' probationary imprisonment.
Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the domestic entertainment market has boomed, with many pop stars holding concert tours across the country since the beginning of last year. While some fans are eager to get a closer look at their stars at the airport, some unscrupulous operators have seen a business opportunity to capitalize on their enthusiasm.
Late last year, police in Shanghai's Jing'an district found individuals selling citizens' personal information, including celebrities' flight itineraries, on social media platforms. In January, police arrested two suspects, surnamed Yin and Wu, in Shanghai, and a couple, surnamed Lian and Guo, in Shenyang, Liaoning Province.
“The information they sold was incredibly extensive, even including mobile phone numbers of celebrities,” said Zhang Lanyu, assistant prosecutor at the Jing'an District People's Procuratorate.
According to her, they were selling celebrities' flight information to fans on online social platforms at a price of 5 to 10 yuan each. They were buying celebrities' ID card numbers in bulk for tens of yuan each and later selling them.
“If citizens' personal information, including their flight routes, is sold, others may learn their location, which could jeopardize their personal safety,” said Jeong Yi, a prosecutor at the local prosecutors' office.
Prosecutors told the court that the defendants illegally obtained personal information of celebrities, mainly by using the celebrities' ID card numbers to make online purchases and to search for the celebrities' flight information on airline websites.
“These features were originally designed to make it easier for passengers to check flight information, but in this case they were exploited by illegal actors,” Zheng said. “It turns out that some airlines realized the loophole and adjusted their inquiry systems.”
Prosecutors said some online platforms contained a significant amount of information about the sale and purchase of celebrity flight itineraries. Police are further investigating the upstream and downstream chains involved in the case.
zhouwenting@chinadaily.com.cn
