Cops bust personal information traders

Cheating husbands and victims of corporate espionage can breathe a sigh of relief after Beijing police seized 205 suspects in a national crackdown on illegal trading in individuals' personal information.

Ninety-eight suspects were detained, according to a Ministry of Public Security statement on their website.

Some of the information was traded for corporate commercial gain, but it also includes records on people who had committed adultery.

Police uncovered six operations where personal information was illegally traded, and 70 companies and four information databases were destroyed in the April 20 operation, said the Beijing News yesterday.

Heads of a local investigation company were arrested for selling company and personal information, illegal investigations and debt collection.

Police found spy equipment such as cameras and GPS monitors in one Beijing company called Huabotianxin, and lots of pictures and videos, including some adultery records.

An investigative company would act as a middle man, buying up the information such as a company's tax records or revenue information for a few hundred yuan. They could then sell this for up to as much as 60,000 yuan ($9,522).

The use of personal information in telecom fraud, kidnapping and forceful debt collection is on the increase, according to the ministry.

The Global Times found that most investigation companies based in Beijing could not be reached yesterday due to invalid phone numbers, and many had closed their websites down.

Need007, a Shanghai-based investigation company, told the Global Times that they help clients discover if their husband is having an affair.

"We'll find out who your husband's mistress is. But you must come to my company, bringing identification documents and photos of your husband," said a woman, surnamed Cai, from Need007.

She said that after discussions with their lawyer, they will sign a contract with clients.

"We'll give you a price when we sign the contract," she said.

According to the Beijing News, the price for an adultery investigation is 20,000-60,000 yuan.

Qu Xinjiu, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, said China is now attaching more importance to private information.

"Criminal law stipulates that those who illegally access personal information can get up to three years in prison, decided on a case-to case basis," Qu said yesterday.

In some cases, government officials, psychological experts and experienced lawyers have been involved.

"The law doesn't say officials will get a stiffer penalty, but a judge will take that into account," Qu said.