What is the result of the personal information disclosure report?

With the advent of the era of network consumption, information services are rapidly popularized, Internet business models are constantly innovating, online and offline services are rapidly integrated, and network communication, especially mobile Internet, is rapidly popularized. Consumers can enjoy online and offline services through a smart phone. However, while consumers enjoy all kinds of benefits brought by the rapid development of mobile Internet, incidents of personal privacy information disclosure, embezzlement and trafficking occur from time to time, and harassment and fraudulent telephone calls and emails are still rampant, which has become a common concern of the whole society and consumers. It has been reported that the economic rights and interests of netizens in China have lost more than RMB 1000 billion on issues such as online fraud. According to the statistics of consumer complaints accepted by the National Consumers Association, the phenomenon of illegal collection of consumers' personal information by e-commerce platforms and social platform software has become a new complaint hotspot in the first half of 20 18.

In order to more accurately grasp consumers' content scope, possible ways, problem forms, rights protection willingness and other related information, and better safeguard consumers' legitimate rights and interests, China Consumers Association organized a questionnaire survey on "App Personal Information Disclosure" from July 17 to August 13, 1965. The survey was conducted online, and 5458 valid questionnaires were collected.

I. Main findings of the survey

(1) Over 80% of the respondents have experienced personal information disclosure.

The survey results show that the overall situation of personal information disclosure is more serious, with 85.2% people experiencing personal information disclosure and 14.8% people not experiencing personal information disclosure.

(2) Common problems encountered after the disclosure of personal information: harassing sales calls or text messages, receiving fraudulent calls, and receiving spam.

The survey results show that when consumers' personal information was leaked, about 86.5% of the respondents were harassed by sales calls or text messages, about 75.0% of the respondents received fraudulent calls, and about 63.4% of the respondents received spam, ranking the top three. In addition, some respondents have received illegal information such as illegal links, and what's more, personal account passwords have been stolen.

(c) Two main problems of consumers' personal information: it is used for fraud and theft, and it is sold or exchanged with a third party.

The survey results show that if the mobile App leads to the disclosure of personal information, the most worrying problem is that it is used for fraud and theft, accounting for 70.5%. Followed by selling or exchanging to a third party, accounting for 52.4%, being harassed by promoted advertisements accounting for 37.7%, and reputation damage accounting for 6.6%.

(4) Operators' unauthorized collection of personal information and intentional disclosure of information are the main ways of personal information disclosure.

The survey results show that the main way of personal information leakage is that operators collect personal information without their consent, accounting for about 62.2% of the total sample; Second, operators or criminals intentionally disclose, sell or illegally provide personal information to others, accounting for about 60.6% of the total sample of the survey, and 57.4% of personal information is leaked due to loopholes in the network service system. There are also criminals who steal and defraud personal information through Trojans and phishing websites, and operators collect unnecessary personal information, accounting for 34.4% and 26.2% respectively.

(5) About one third of the respondents choose to admit their bad luck after personal information is leaked.

The survey results show that after personal information is leaked, respondents will take various measures to safeguard their rights and interests, such as complaining to consumer associations and relevant administrative departments, and some respondents will choose to negotiate with service providers and give feedback to relevant industry organizations.

It is noteworthy that in the end, about one-third of the respondents chose to "admit that they are unlucky", which may be based on their inability to cope, on the other hand, they may accept the status quo after failing to cope.

(6) Read the application authority and user agreement or privacy policy when installing and using the mobile app.

1. In reading habits, the respondents who chose "occasional reading" were the most.

The survey results show that when users install and use mobile apps, few people read the application permissions and user agreements or privacy policies, and most of them read them occasionally and never read them. Often read 18. 1%, often read 8.2%, sometimes read 16.4%, occasionally read 3 1.2%, and never read 26.2%.

2. From the reading level, the respondents who chose "probably reading" were the most.

The survey results show that among 73.8% of the respondents who have read the application rights and user agreement or privacy policy, only 26.7% of the respondents can read the written description of the application rights and user agreement or privacy policy carefully, less than 30%; Nearly 40% of the respondents will probably look at relevant policies, accounting for the highest proportion; About 20.0% of the respondents will choose to read key chapters; Some interviewees occasionally check the application rights and user agreement or privacy policy text during use.

3. "Unauthorized use" is the main reason why respondents "never read".

The survey results show that among the 26.2% respondents who have never read the application permissions and user agreements or privacy policies, the main reason for choosing never to read them is that they can't use them without authorization, and they can only be forced to accept them, accounting for 6 1.2%. There are also 22.2% respondents who trust the App operator, and 16.6% respondents think that the content of the App user agreement is similar.

(7) More than 60% of the respondents took measures to fill in some personal information to protect the safety of personal information.

The survey results show that respondents mainly protect personal information security by filling in only a part of personal information when using App, accounting for 67.2%. 32.7% chose to turn off personalized services (such as location), 29.5% refused to access software, 24.6% installed relevant protection software, 18.0% used some false information when registering, and 4.9% of the respondents said they didn't care.

(The permissions required by the App are mainly to obtain location information and access contacts.

The survey results show that when installing and using mobile apps, the most common things are the right to read location information and the right to access contacts, accounting for 86.8% and 62.3% respectively. The proportion of respondents who were asked to read phone records (47.5%), read short message records (39.3%), turn on cameras (39.3%) and record microphones (24.6%) was relatively high.

(9) Nearly 70% of the respondents believe that the mobile app has obtained the user's privacy right when its function is unnecessary.

The survey results show that it is more serious for mobile apps to obtain users' privacy rights when their own functions are unnecessary. 67.2% of the respondents have encountered this situation, and only 32.8% of the respondents have not.

(10) Nearly 80% of the respondents believe that the reason why mobile apps collect personal information is to promote advertisements.

The survey results show that respondents believe that promoting advertisements is the most important reason for mobile apps to collect personal information, accounting for 77.0%. Other reasons are selling and exchanging personal information (45.9%), tapping users' habits and providing better services (42.6%) and fraud and theft (24.6%).

(1 1) The main reasons for personal information security problems in mobile apps are weak personal security awareness and inadequate supervision.

The survey results show that weak awareness of personal information security protection and inadequate supervision are the main reasons why respondents believe that personal information security problems occur in mobile apps, accounting for 64.0% and 57.3% respectively. Imperfect relevant laws (39.3%), difficulty in obtaining evidence, high cost of rights protection (24.6%), weak awareness of rights protection (19.6%) and lack of industry self-discipline (18.0%) are also important reasons for personal information security problems in mobile apps.

(12) More than 80% of the respondents believe that the current mobile App needs to be strengthened in protecting users' personal information.

The survey results show that the respondents think that the current mobile App needs to be strengthened in terms of user personal information, 62.3% of the respondents think it is very necessary, and 23.0% think it is necessary, accounting for more than 80% of the total sample of the survey. The proportion of people who think it is unnecessary, unnecessary and completely unnecessary is relatively small.

Second, the conclusion

1. The situation of personal information disclosure is quite serious, and there are various ways and forms of information disclosure. According to the statistical results, the main ways of consumers' personal information leakage are that operators collect personal information privately without their consent, operators or criminals deliberately disclose, sell or illegally provide personal information to others, and there are loopholes in the network service system, which leads to personal information leakage; When consumers' personal privacy information is leaked, the most common situations are receiving fraudulent calls, sales calls, text message harassment, spam and so on.

2. The excessive collection of personal information by mobile apps shows a general trend. The survey results show that there are many kinds of permissions that mobile app needs to obtain, the most prominent of which is to obtain location information and access contact rights; Moreover, the user's right to privacy is obtained when the function of the App itself is unnecessary, which increases the risk of personal information disclosure; Most respondents believe that the reason why mobile apps collect personal information is to promote advertisements.

3. The frequency and depth of consumers' access to mobile applications and user agreements or privacy policies need to be improved. The survey shows that more consumers never or occasionally read the application rights, user agreements or privacy policies of mobile apps. Moreover, due to the lack of network technical knowledge and the length of written expression, some consumers will not read the written description of the privacy policy completely, or skim it, or read key chapters, and their awareness is not deep, and it is easy to miss key information or key descriptions. There are also a large number of consumers who can't use the App without authorization, and have never read the application rights and user agreement or privacy policy of the app.

4. The countermeasures after the disclosure of consumers' personal information are insufficient. According to the survey data, after personal information is leaked, consumers are most worried about being used for fraud, theft or handing it over to a third party; However, it is worth noting that there are not a few respondents who choose negative response and feel unlucky, and consumers' awareness of active rights protection needs to be strengthened.

5. Consumers have a strong awareness of personal information security, but lack effective protection measures. The survey shows that users protect personal information security by filling in some information. Weak personal safety awareness and inadequate supervision are the main reasons for personal information security problems in mobile apps. On the one hand, consumers and mobile App service providers are often in an unequal position, and they can only agree or be forced to agree to format terms and information access rights; On the other hand, although consumers have a sense of self-protection, they don't know how to protect themselves more effectively, and it is difficult to deal with them effectively.

Three. suggestion

This survey shows that with the rapid development of the mobile Internet, the leakage of consumers' personal information is not optimistic, and there is a general trend that mobile apps over-collect personal information. Consumers have many concerns, but they often lack effective countermeasures to protect consumers' personal information and privacy. How to protect consumers' personal information and privacy, respect consumers' values and wishes, and make consumers' personal information and privacy data no longer "streaking" and get reasonable respect and protection can not be separated from the extensive participation and governance of all sectors of society. To this end, the China Consumers Association suggests:

1. Improve relevant laws and regulations to provide a solid foundation for the long-term development of the industry. At present, China has issued some normative documents and recommended standards to regulate and guide the collection of personal information by App, but the disciplinary measures and compensation issues that consumers are generally concerned about are not deep enough. It is suggested that the rights and obligations of both parties to network information services, especially the obligations and responsibilities of App service providers, should be further clarified, and the risks and problems related to personal information and data application should be well dealt with and judged, so that the data industry in the network era can develop within the scope of the rule of law.

2. Strengthen the dynamic supervision of enterprises to provide a solid guarantee for the orderly development of the industry. The supervision of mobile App and the protection of personal information need the cooperation and dynamic supervision of relevant departments such as industrial credit, market supervision, public security, culture and network security. First, strict access thresholds and registration and filing, such as developer qualification review, App registration and filing, App service function and content review, and violation punishment mechanism, should form a linkage to strengthen source governance; The second is to severely punish all kinds of violations of laws and regulations, severely crack down on the black industrial chain of personal information trafficking, and form a normalized supervision mechanism for violations of consumers' personal privacy information; Third, pay close attention to the development trend of App in the market, such as jointly establishing an App spot check system and a blacklist system, and promptly publicizing blacklisted software to remind consumers to download it carefully.

3. Urge enterprises to be self-disciplined and provide internal motivation for the healthy development of the industry. First of all, App service providers must establish the awareness of the first person responsible for consumer rights protection, adhere to the "safety" bottom line, and strengthen the responsibility of protecting consumers' personal information; Secondly, enterprises should obtain user data in a reasonable and legal way, and take effective measures to ensure the safety of users' personal information and data, so as to win consumers' choice and trust with service quality and security guarantee; Third, enterprises should avoid misunderstanding and misreading by consumers in a concise, eye-catching and easy-to-understand way when providing related services and fulfilling their obligation to inform; Fourth, enterprises should fully listen to and respect consumers' reasonable demands and opinions, and give timely feedback to improve consumers' satisfaction and trust.

4. Encourage public participation and strengthen the popularization of network knowledge and safety education norms. On the one hand, through social propaganda, social mobilization, social participation and social supervision, social forces should be widely mobilized to control the information leakage of mobile App, strengthen the popularization of network knowledge and safety education norms, and enhance consumers' awareness of personal information security protection and rights protection; On the other hand, it is necessary to unblock complaint channels and rights protection channels, and build convenient channels for complaints, reports, feedback and handling, so that consumers can actively participate in actions to safeguard personal information security and enhance consumers' willingness and effect of rights protection.

5. Cultivate good information credit awareness and usage habits. Consumers should pay attention to "four considerations" when choosing to use mobile App: First, they should pay attention to choosing safe and compliant App products and services, and choose formal and effective channels for download and installation; Second, we should pay attention to carefully reading the application authority and user agreement or privacy policy description of the app to understand the operational precautions; Third, we should pay attention to cultivate good habits, do not arbitrarily open and agree with unnecessary reading rights, do not arbitrarily input personal privacy information, and regularly maintain and clean up relevant data; Fourth, we should pay attention to seriously deal with the problem of personal privacy information being leaked. When personal information is found to be leaked, it is necessary to take the initiative to protect rights in a timely manner through effective means, and report it to relevant departments when necessary, so that more consumers can be protected from it.