Enhanced regulatory oversight on data security is expected after Chinese face-swapping app ZAO came under fire over privacy concerns, experts said.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has summoned social networking firm Momo Inc, which powers ZAO that lets users superimpose their face on those of celebrities and produce synthesized videos and emojis.
The ministry asked the company to collect user information abiding by relevant rules and regulations, revisit respective user agreements and protocols, and strengthen the protection of internet data and individual user information, it said in a Weibo post on September 4.
The ministry added that its internet security management bureau will further strengthen its guidance and supervision of companies to comply with legal rules for data and personal information protection.
The facial pictures uploaded to ZAO belong to "personal sensitive information" that should not be leaked, illegally provided or abused. Therefore the above clauses represent a violation of a national standard on personal information and impeachment of user privacy, said Wang Zheng, a lawyer at Zhejiang Taihang Law Firm.
"Another risk is on intellectual property rights. ZAO stated that the majority of synthesized videos or emojis submitted by users do not have intellectual property rights. That has literally prevented the platform from any legal disputes should any problems occur, with users bearing all the responsibilities," Wang said.
To avoid tightened supervision smothering the healthy development of technology, laws and industry regulations should be detailed and updated in due time, said Chen Tian, vice-director of the data security research department at China Academy of Information and Communications Technolog.
Source: China Daily
