Four arrested for peddling celebrities' personal information

Four people have been arrested by police in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, for selling celebrities' personal information including flight details to fans, the Qianjiang Evening News reported on Sunday.

The gang, based near the city's Xiaoshan International Airport, obtained celebrities' flight details on self-service check-in machines at the airport terminals by typing personal information they obtained via illegal means, an initial investigation showed. A single bit of information was usually sold for dozens of yuan in fan chat groups on various social media apps.

The group also peddles tickets which enable fans to get closer to their idols by entering the departure hall. Fans can get tickets refunded with service charges deducted as soon as they go through the security check. Police said such behavior seriously disrupts regular flights and public order at the airport.

The four suspects, all younger than 26 years old, are fans themselves who had bought flight information online in the past and later found they could make money from it, police said.

China's pop idol Jackson Wang and actor Xiao Zhan were among their targets.

Xiaoshan airport is close to the Hengdian World Studios, China's largest movie production base, where a significant number of entertainers go, according to local police.

The case is currently under further investigation.

China's first Personal Information Protection Law came into effect on November 1. Excessive collection of personal information, misuse of facial recognition technology, and profits derived from private data are all prohibited by the law. People trading personal information including names, identification numbers, phone numbers, addresses, biological identification information, or individual whereabouts could face up to seven years in prison.