BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police have solved over 1,800 cases of personal information infringement and hacker attacks since March, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said Monday.
Police also managed to track more than 50 billion pieces of stolen personal information and caught over 4,800 suspects nationwide.
According to the MPS, the leakage and theft of personal information mainly comes from employees at companies and public institutions, and the increasing number of hacker attacks have further worsened the situation.
Police have arrested suspects working in the telecom industry, at banks and educational institutions as well as logistics and online retailers who illegally obtained and sold personal information since the beginning of 2017, said the MPS.
The leaking of personal information is against the country's Civil Law, as Article 111 of the law states that personal information of all people and entities inside China shall be protected by law.
Chinese courts issued a harsh judicial ruling this May, stipulating those who illegally obtain or sell 500 or more pieces of personal information could face a sentence of up to seven years.