Reporter undercover investigates underground trade of celebrity information: personal information packaged and sold, how profitable is it behind the scenes?
Recently, actor Wang Yibo posted on Weibo that his phone number had been leaked, leading to relentless harassment from fans, and shared his call records, drawing public attention.
From the screenshots Wang Yibo posted on Weibo, it can be seen that from 8:09 to 8:15, there were 4 incoming calls in 6 minutes. Another screenshot shows that Wang Yibo had 194 missed calls. "Stop calling me, and stop buying my number," Wang Yibo said on Weibo.
In fact, the leakage of celebrity information is not happening for the first time. Reporters have found that various personal information of celebrities is being openly sold at marked prices on platforms like Weibo, WeChat, and Xianyu, including flights, hotels, appearances, music and game accounts, phone numbers, ID numbers, and even household registration, with celebrity information being sold at marked prices.
This information is inexpensive, ranging from a few yuan to 100 yuan, and 500 yuan can be used to purchase information on hundreds of celebrities in a bundle.
(This image is sourced from The Beijing News)
This also includes the phone numbers, QQ numbers, and other contact information of nearly 10 artists such as Zhu Yilong, Luo Yunxi, and Wang Heli. In the price listed by a scalper, Kris Wu's household registration information only costs 50 yuan.
According to a scalper: "During the off-season, half a month's income can be around 5,000 yuan., during the rest of the time, you can also earn a few hundred yuan every day.
A lawyer from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm stated,This illegal act of leaking others' information not only involves civil infringement but also is suspected of criminally violating citizens' personal information.
In civil matters, infringement of personal privacy rights
China's Tort Liability Law includes citizens' right to privacy within its scope of protection.
Article 2 of the Tort Liability Law stipulates that anyone who infringes upon civil rights and interests shall bear tort liability in accordance with this Law. Civil rights and interests referred to in this Law include life rights, health rights, name rights, reputation rights, honor rights, portrait rights, privacy rights, the right to marriage autonomy, guardianship rights, ownership rights, usufructuary rights, security rights, copyright, patent rights, trademark rights, discovery rights, equity, inheritance rights, and other personal and property rights and interests.
Without the citizen's permission, publicly disclosing their name, portrait, address, ID number, and phone number can be classified as an infringement of privacy rights.
Criminally, suspected of the crime of infringing on citizens' personal information
According to the current Criminal Law, the 'crime of infringing upon citizens' personal information' refers to acts that violate relevant national regulations by selling or providing citizens' personal information to others, or illegally obtaining citizens' personal information through theft or other methods, with serious circumstances.
According to Article 253-1 of the Criminal Law of our country, the crime of infringing upon citizens' personal information is punishable by fixed-term imprisonment of up to three years or criminal detention, and may also be punished with a fine; if the circumstances are particularly serious, the punishment is fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years, and a fine.
A lawyer from Guangdong Zhiming Law Firm also mentioned,Whether it is raising a civil claim for invasion of privacy or a criminal charge for the crime of infringing on personal information, one must find a clear defendant, know who leaked the information, and also have the awareness to preserve fixed evidence, being able to present preliminary evidence to prove it.
Of course, one can also choose to report to the police, allowing public security authorities to investigate and find the source of the information leak. However, if there are no clues or evidence at all, due to the complexity and concealment of the internet, public security authorities often find it difficult to identify the suspects. This is also why scalpers continue to be rampant despite repeated bans. Nowadays, exposing celebrities' private information has become a public spectacle. These illegal activities stem from strong market demand, and it is hoped that readers can approach the issue of celebrity privacy rationally.
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