Human Flesh Search—thousands of individuals working to find and make public someone’s personal information, mostly online—will be ruled as leaking personal data, which is against the law, according to China’s top court.
Internet users or network service providers who leak people’s personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, and clinical data will have to hold legal responsibility.
Network service providers will also be held responsible if they are aware that their users have violated others’ rights but have failed to take action.
The decision comes after years of arguments over whether it’s right for the public to try those who behave wrongly.
On the one hand, cyber hunting does have its positive influences. Some public officials have been removed from their positions after human flesh searches led to corruption investigations. During disasters like the Sichuan earthquake in 2008, the search method also helped many people to find their loved ones.
But many think that online cyber hunting is creating a threat to privacy. “People’s ‘unusually high enthusiasm’ makes the human flesh search engine phenomenon unique,” Xujun Eberlein, a Chinese American author and commentator, told Forbes. “Participants often ‘reach out their hands’ thoughtlessly, violating people’s rights instead of being righteous(正直).”
【写作内容】
1. 以约30个词概括短文大意；
2. 以约120个词就“Human Flesh Search（人肉搜索）”这一主题谈谈你的看法，内容包括：
1）你是否赞同文章提及的“禁止人肉搜索”的法案，请说明你的理由；
2）“网络时代，个人隐私如何才能得到保障？”请就此问题，提出你的建议（至少两点）。
【写作要求】
1. 可以参照阅读材料内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；
2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。
The article announces that new laws are to be put out to suspend the Human Flesh Search. Public opinions toward this decision vary, some showing approval while others objection.
Personally, I am convinced that a ban on the human flesh search is essential. Although the human flesh search has indeed exposed some bad guys and their wrong doings, it is court rather than individuals that is to take the responsibility to do the trial. Despite their good intentions, what these cyber hunters do is both immoral and illegal, which can greatly endanger individuals and the whole society.
Therefore, it is high time immediate and positive measures should be adopted to address the problem. Firstly, the government must make relevant regulations and laws to protect people’s online privacy. In addition, all people should enhance the awareness of the importance of privacy protection. To avoid unwanted attention, it’s better for us to make personal information only available to friends. Only in these ways can we ensure network security.