Relatives of the deceased may request access to, copies of, corrections to, and deletion of their personal information

10. Relatives of the deceased may request access to, copies of, corrections to, and deletion of their personal information

Cost: No cost involved. Only if the platform refuses cooperation would legal complaints or lawsuits be necessary.

In plain terms: After a person passes away, their close relatives may, for their own lawful and legitimate interests, ask the platform to access, copy, correct, or delete that person’s personal information. If the platform denies such requests, it must provide a valid reason. Legal action in court is also an option. One exception applies: if the deceased made prior arrangements—such as designating a successor to their account or expressing clear intentions—those instructions must be followed.

Benefit: The law explicitly states that upon a person’s death, their close relatives may, for their own lawful and legitimate interests, exercise rights such as accessing, copying, correcting, and deleting the deceased’s personal information. In other words, they may request the platform to provide access to this data, make copies, correct any errors, or remove it entirely.

Evidence grade: A

Sources: National People's Congress Standing Committee (2021). Personal Information Protection Law. China National People's Congress. <http://www.npc.gov.cn/npc/c2/c30834/202108/t20210820_313088.html> Article 49: "When a natural person dies, his close relatives may, for their own legal and legitimate interests, exercise access to the relevant personal information of the deceased as stipulated in this chapter, Rights such as copying, correction, deletion, etc.; unless otherwise arranged during the lifetime of the deceased. "Article 50" Personal information processors shall establish a convenient mechanism for accepting and processing applications for individuals to exercise their rights. If they refuse an individual's request to exercise their rights, they shall state the reasons. "Individuals may file lawsuits in the People's Court in accordance with the law."

Notes: The legal text includes a clause stating “except where the deceased made prior arrangements.” This means that if someone designated a successor to their account or left explicit instructions, those must be honored. Therefore, while still alive, it’s advisable to document where one’s account credentials are kept, as explained in Section 17. Note also that account deactivation and deletion of personal information are two distinct processes, as discussed in Section 14.