Online Privacy in China: A Survey on Information Practices of Chinese Websites

摘要

This paper is a survey on the information practices of Chinese websites. Three groups of Chinese commercial websites were selected and their information practices were analysed and compared with the generally accepted principles of online information practices. Survey results indicated that Chinese websites collected a vast amount of personal data through various forms. The percentage of websites posting privacy disclosures was comparatively small. For those sites with privacy policy or discrete privacy statement, their information practices did not accord with generally accepted principles of information practices. The paper presents recommendations for China to deal with such a legal issue that makes national borders meaningless.