Teacher Shared Exam Admission Card Photo, Seven Students' College Preferences Altered

A case involving the disclosure of students' personal information and the unauthorized alteration of their college admission preferences has attracted public attention in China. The Xinshi District People's Court in Urumqi, Xinjiang, recently issued a first-instance judgment in a dispute involving privacy and personal information protection.

According to publicly available information, a teacher shared photographs of students' examination admission cards in a class group chat. The photographs reportedly contained sensitive information including examination numbers, identification numbers and initial passwords for the online application system. A fellow student later used the information to access the admissions system and alter the first-choice applications of seven students, causing several of them to miss admission to the institutions they had originally selected.

The incident dates back to June 2023, when Li, a vocational school student, took an examination for admission to higher vocational education and completed his application preferences. His class teacher, identified as Xu in court documents, had posted photographs containing students' examination information and initial login passwords in the class group.

Another student, identified as Sun, obtained the information from the group chat. He subsequently logged into the admissions system from home and altered the first-choice codes of seven candidates, including Li.

As a result, several students were unable to gain admission to the institutions they had originally selected. The case was later investigated by authorities. Sun was prosecuted for disrupting a computer information system and was sentenced to one year and six months in prison.

After the criminal proceedings, Li and his mother filed a civil lawsuit against Sun, the school and the class teacher, seeking compensation for the losses they said resulted from the altered application.

The court found that Sun, who directly accessed the admissions system and changed the applications, was the primary party responsible for the infringement. The court also found that although the teacher did not intend to harm the students, sharing photographs containing account and password information had objectively facilitated the subsequent unauthorized access. The court determined that the teacher's conduct occurred in the course of his duties and that the school should bear the corresponding management responsibility.

The court ultimately assigned 70% of the civil liability to Sun and 30% to the school. The teacher was not personally ordered to pay civil compensation. Sun was ordered to compensate Li by approximately 23,000 yuan, while the school was ordered to pay approximately 17,000 yuan. Both Sun and the school were also ordered to make an oral apology to Li at the court.

The case highlights the importance of protecting students' personal information during examination and university application procedures. Admission cards may contain not only basic examination information but, in some circumstances, account credentials needed to access online application systems.

Students should therefore change default passwords promptly, keep examination numbers and identification information secure, and carefully verify their application and admission information through official channels.

The case also serves as a reminder to schools and teachers that student information should not be distributed publicly merely for convenience. During examinations, application periods and admission procedures, stronger information-security practices are particularly important.

A photograph posted in a class group may appear harmless, but when it contains login credentials, the consequences can extend far beyond the disclosure of personal information. For students whose years of study depend on a university application, protecting such information is an essential part of safeguarding their educational opportunities.