Yikatong, a smart card upon which money can be stored and no contact details are included, has become a hot topic among China's internet users after a netizen revealed that it may leak personal information, The Beijing News Post reported on Tuesday.

Privacy concerns on transport IC card

The card can be used on Beijing's public transportation and in a number of designated shops and services.

Li Tiejun, an engineer working at renowned Chinese software company Kingsoft, posted a message on his Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter-like microblog, about his discovery that he could use the official website of Yikatong (www.bjsuperpass.com) to look at his own information concerning his previous whereabouts, without using any password. The message has been forwarded more than 3,000 times within a day and has caused a surge in web traffic to Yikatong's official website, slowing down the site and making it hard for anyone to gain access.

Some netizens who have succeeded in logging onto the site in order to use the inquiry system have confirmed that the card keeps a log of a card holder's previous travel destinations, including the numbers of the buses and subway lines that the person has taken, journey times, and the code numbers of the stations where travelers have boarded or exited vehicles.

Many people have expressed their concerns that such travel details may be utilized to trace someone, as the information is open to everyone with only the requirement being the card number. Many have suggested that Yikatong company improve the system, implementing stricter access requirements such as passwords.

The Yikatong company said that the inquiry by card number has been offered for nearly ten years. The company denied claims that the card infringed upon people's privacy, saying that real names are not disclosed. The company has not closed the inquiry service but has said that they will consider the netizens' suggestions and make a decision on whether to improve the system or not after carrying out a thorough evaluation.

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