Travel code data must stay safe for all

The travel code, a WeChat-based lite app that records people's movements to confirm they had not been to any high-risk area in the last 14 days, is being officially suspended from midnight on Tuesday.

The travel code's contribution in the fight against COVID-19 can never be overestimated. By deriving personal data from the telecommunication service providers, the travel code smartly recorded the user's travel history, thus helping people from getting exposed to those who might have been to a high-risk area.

Compared with the health kit, another lite app with similar functions administered by provincial-level agencies, the travel code, given its nationwide reach, grants users further convenience when travelling across provincial borders. It is fair to say the lite app has made major contributions to ensuring resumption of production and normal economic activities during the pandemic.

But with the anti-pandemic measures achieving the desired goals, it is now time for the travel code to be relegated to history. Thanks to it, though, ample experience has been gained that can be applied during any future pandemic.

However, much work remains to be done next. The most important one is the users' personal data collected in the past three years, which accurately shows their travel record over the period — a very personal matter.

Every time someone scanned and opened the travel code, it sought authorization to access their private information, which means the telecommunication companies and the travel code developers were fully aware that they were dealing with users' personal info. But now, as the travel code bows out, it is advisable that its developers destroy the data that was being monitored by a third party, so that everybody can rest assured their personal info remains safe.

The fight against the pandemic has taken three years from people's lives. It should not take away people's privacy too. It is time to strengthen protection of people's privacy; the authorities can start by destroying the personal info collected through the travel code.