'90-day land data cleaning campaign': People both trust and wonder

Photo caption — Illustration photo: Tuan Anh/VNA

However, during the implementation process, people still have concerns and worries about personal data being leaked, exploited, or even scammed if the information collection is not strictly secured.

Research in some wards and communes in Hanoi shows that people strongly support and want a transparent land data system. Ms. Hoang Thi Thu Hong in Bach Mai ward (Hanoi) said: The review and cleaning of land data being implemented nationwide is very necessary. In fact, there are many red books issued a long time ago, users have changed but not updated. If the process is followed correctly, the information will be more transparent, avoiding future disputes.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Vu Van Toan, in Thanh Xuan ward (Hanoi) said that if the land and population database were synchronized, administrative procedures would be faster and less cumbersome. When selling land or transferring ownership, there would be no need to run around asking for confirmation anymore. The people would still be the ones to benefit in the end.

The views of Ms. Ha and Mr. Toan are not unique. Many people understand that for real digital transformation, the data platform must be accurate. Ms. Nguyen Ngoc Trinh, Party Secretary of 11 residential clusters in Bach Mai ward, said that ward officials were mobilized to each residential group to support people in declaring and updating information. Some places allow submitting copies or photos of red books and citizen identification cards via electronic applications, helping to save time and effort. People appreciate this "fast, neat, transparent" way of doing things.

In addition to the positive aspects, people also have many concerns and fears about the risk of privacy infringement and personal data disclosure if the implementation is half-hearted, such as collecting photocopies of real estate documents, red books, pink books, citizen identification cards and storing them in scattered places, without a proper destruction plan, and lacking access control. This is not a " human rights violation" in the broad sense, but is a legal and social issue that needs to be considered and handled promptly.

Ms. Tran Hoai Thu, in Cua Nam ward (Hanoi) said that the ward announced that she had to submit a photocopy of her red book and citizen ID card within 10 days, otherwise it would affect her rights in the future. But Ms. Thu still felt a bit uneasy because these were original documents containing important information, and if they were leaked, it would be very complicated. Because many other people had reported that just one day after submitting their application, they received a call from a real estate broker and questioned whether their personal information had been leaked.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khuong in Phu Dien ward (Hanoi) shared that he had just photocopied the red book and submitted it to the residential group the day before, but the next day someone called to ask if he wanted to sell the land and wondered if it was a coincidence or if the data had leaked out. That coincidence increased people's anxiety, insecurity and suspicion when they had to submit photocopies of real estate documents and citizen identification cards. Therefore, many people believe that manually collecting paper data while the electronic system already has information is "cumbersome and potentially risky".

Lawyer Nghiem Thi Hang of Vu Linh Law Office (Hanoi Bar Association) commented that according to Decree 13/2023/ND-CP on personal data protection, the collection of personal information must have a clear purpose, be informed to the people, and ensure safe storage. If the local government does not have a strict process and cannot control who accesses the records, the risk of information leakage is real.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Pham Van Tinh - Deputy Director of the Hanoi Land Registration Office (Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment) said that in the context of reorganizing the two-level local government model, complete and accurate land data will help local authorities have tools to handle administrative procedures right at communes, wards and towns. People no longer have to travel a lot, records are processed in the electronic environment, saving time and costs.

Regarding the need for people to provide photocopies of the Land Use Rights Certificate and Citizen Identification Card, Mr. Pham Van Tinh said that due to the characteristics of information about land users including information about land and identity cards, citizen identification cards on the Certificate issued to land users were formed over many periods, under different management, storage and technology conditions.

Meanwhile, some people arbitrarily transfer, change the purpose of use or transact with handwritten documents, without completing inheritance rights... causing the current data to be lacking, incorrect and inconsistent. "The campaign to "enrich and clean" the land database aims to build an information system that is "correct - sufficient - clean - alive - unified - shared", serving transparent and effective state management, while creating convenience for people and businesses to carry out administrative procedures on land on the National Public Service Portal.

To achieve this, the participation of the entire political system and community is needed, in which land users and owners of assets attached to land play an important role in providing and verifying accurate information - Mr. Pham Van Tinh informed.

Regarding the suspicion of information leakage that people are worried about, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Lien - a legal expert, this is well-founded, so it is necessary to limit information collection by requiring people to submit photocopies. Because loose archived documents are not centrally managed, the risk of information leakage is high. People should be encouraged to take photos with digital signatures, make electronic declarations or have appraisal officers go to the field; if documents are required to be collected, there must be a receipt, centralized management records, and a safe destruction process.

In addition, the State needs to have clear guidelines on who can access, the purpose of use, storage period, and technical measures (encryption, access control). While human resources at the commune and ward levels have not been fully trained in data security, personal information related to red books and citizen identification cards is sensitive data, so it is necessary to be extremely careful in collecting information and must be handled according to regulations - Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Lien emphasized.