Express waybills, carrying real names and phone numbers, have become a major conduit for breaches of personal information, according to the Internet Society of China. In response, some big players in the express delivery sector, like SF Express, have rolled out privacy-oriented waybills that leave out certain words or numbers to protect personal information. Commentator Zhang Xiliu, in an article in the
Legal Daily, argued that the practice should be popularized in other branches of the service sector.
China pushed the real-name express waybill system years ago, to guarantee the safe transportation of mail. But Zhang also pointed out that it came with societal costs; for example, customers' personal information is available to couriers, express companies and even other people. In this context, using privacy-oriented waybills not only makes up for the loopholes in the real-name system, but protects personal information, he noted.
The commentator went further to argue that the practice should be adopted by all branches of the service sector. Meanwhile, the country should work to establish and improve a standardized personal information protection law, stipulating the reasonable use of personal information and punishments for violations. And the bodies that have the authority to collect information should be examined, approved and registered, he proposed.