Parking your car, scanning a code, and making a payment—addressing the issues prominently reported by consumers, such as the obligatory following of Official Accounts, joining as a member, and registering to log in at various mall parking lots, the Shanghai Municipal Cyberspace Administration and the Market Supervision Administration have focused on and collectively governed these practices during the "Sword of Pujiang · 2023" special enforcement action. Supported by the Municipal Commerce Commission and through the continuous efforts of departments at both the municipal and district levels over more than half a year, the city has expanded from the initial batch of 64 malls to 462 malls across all 16 districts with parking lots, all introducing the "Pure Code" for parking payments (not collecting any personal information), achieving full coverage in protecting personal information under the main mall parking scenarios. The list of malls that have launched the "Pure Edition" parking payment code includes 18 malls in Yangpu.

"Pure Edition" Parking Payment Code

Merchants are required to adhere to the principle of minimal necessary collection of personal information, providing parking consumers with the most convenient QR code scanning method for quick payment and exit. Inducing or forcing the collection of consumers' personal information and other violations are strictly prohibited. Compared to the process before rectification, the introduction of the "Pure Code" not only significantly accelerates the payment speed—requiring only "entering the license plate number and clicking to pay" in two steps, which takes about 10 seconds in total to exit—but also effectively implements relevant requirements for the protection of personal information.

Since July 2023, the Cyberspace and Market Supervision departments at both the municipal and district levels in Shanghai have achieved notable results in protecting personal information in the parking QR code scanning domain through comprehensive governance measures such as on-site law enforcement, interviews and guidance, legal publicity, administrative penalties, and media exposure. They are also actively supporting the Municipal Consumer Protection Committee in formulating and issuing the "Guidelines for Compliance in QR Code Payment Services in Shanghai Mall Parking Lots," explicitly stating that enterprises operating parking lots in malls should provide consumers with a "Pure Edition" parking code that directly accesses the payment page. If QR codes for mall membership or Official Accounts are posted under the guise of parking fee discounts or member points, they must be clearly indicated and only collect personal information relevant to the service.

A responsible person from the Shanghai Municipal Cyberspace Administration pointed out that it is considered excessive collection of consumers' personal information and a violation of relevant regulations of the "Personal Information Protection Law" for parking area operators to force or induce consumers to join as a member or follow an Official Account to pay parking fees. Moving forward, the Cyberspace and Market Supervision departments at the municipal and district levels, in conjunction with relevant industry regulatory departments, will comprehensively encourage operators of public parking areas in hotels, hospitals, parks, and scenic areas in Shanghai to conduct self-inspections and rectifications, striving to achieve full coverage of the "Pure Code" for parking payments across the city's main parking areas.

The special enforcement action for the protection of personal information equity in the consumer domain is ongoing and never considered complete. The "Sword of Pujiang · 2024" special action will continue throughout the year in conjunction with the city's "Confident Consumption" initiative, pressing forward in phases, focusing on QR code parking, QR code ordering, scenic spot ticket services, misuse of facial recognition, and the protection of minors' personal information. It aims to achieve comprehensive governance in the collection, storage, use, and transmission of personal information at all stages, combining online and offline actions to strictly punish illegal activities that infringe upon consumers' personal information rights, encourage enterprises to proactively fulfill their obligations for personal information protection, prevent the resurgence of old problems, and significantly improve the current state of personal information protection in focused scenarios, achieving the overall effect of "regulatory departments taking action, enterprises voluntarily making changes, citizens becoming aware of personal information protection, and the community providing oversight." The public is welcomed to actively participate in the "Sword of Pujiang · 2024" special action by providing tips through the following channels:

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