Legal Status Research Articles

Family, global conflict, and imperial migration: Paul Messi’s First World War

ABSTRACT The German Empire collapsed at the end of the First World War, necessitating a re-negotiation of the legal and social status of its former imperial subjects. This article discusses the wartime experience of Paul Messi, a Cameroonian language assistant at the Colonial Institute, Hamburg. Messi moved to Germany in 1913 to succeed his uncle, Karl Atangana who had returned to Cameroon to become Paramount Leader of the Ewondo and Bane. Atangana had secured the position in Germany for his nephew along with providing him with a stipend. The outbreak of war saw Messi stranded in Hamburg, suffering from ill health and cut off from financial assistance. However, due to Atangana’s petitioning to the German government, his daughter Katharina, and Messi were reunited in Madrid before repatriation in 1919. The return to Cameroon was difficult, Messi, despite his desire to leave Germany, was treated as a suspect person by the French authorities. Focusing on Messi’s account of his experiences, this paper highlights how the war not only disrupted intra-empire familial connections but also how these connections enabled a negotiated return to Mandate Cameroon in the early post-war period.

Perceptions, prevalence, and patterns of cannabis use among cancer patients treated at 12 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers.

The legal climate for cannabis use has dramatically changed with an increasing number of states passing legislation legalizing access for medical and recreational use. Among cancer patients, cannabis is often used to ameliorate adverse effects of cancer treatment. Data are limited on the extent and type of use among cancer patients during treatment and the perceived benefits and harms. This multicenter survey was conducted to assess the use of cannabis among cancer patients residing in states with varied legal access to cannabis. A total of 12 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, across states with varied cannabis-access legal status, conducted surveys with a core questionnaire to assess cannabis use among recently diagnosed cancer patients. Data were collected between September 2021 and August 2023 and pooled across 12 cancer centers. Frequencies and 95% confidence intervals for core survey measures were calculated, and weighted estimates are presented for the 10 sites that drew probability samples. Overall reported cannabis use since cancer diagnosis among survey respondents was 32.9% (weighted), which varied slightly by state legalization status. The most common perceived benefits of use were for pain, sleep, stress and anxiety, and treatment side effects. Reported perceived risks were less common and included inability to drive, difficulty concentrating, lung damage, addiction, and impact on employment. A majority reported feeling comfortable speaking to health-care providers though, overall, only 21.5% reported having done so. Among those who used cannabis since diagnosis, the most common modes were eating in food, smoking, and pills or tinctures, and the most common reasons were for sleep disturbance, followed by pain and stress and anxiety with 60%-68% reporting improved symptoms with use. This geographically diverse survey demonstrates that patients use cannabis regardless of its legal status. Addressing knowledge gaps concerning benefits and harms of cannabis use during cancer treatment is critical to enhance patient-provider communication.

Stability indicators, child welfare provisioning and trajectory into university for care-experienced youth

Purpose Children and youth who enter the care system have lower educational outcomes and university participation rates than their peers. This study aims to understand trend exceptions by examining the background of care-experienced undergraduates attending a research-intensive university in Canada. Design/methodology/approach Informed by social affordance theory, this study examined the presence of four indicators of stability (home, household occupants, school and legal status) during participants’ final three years of secondary education. Care-experienced undergraduates (N = 30) completed an online questionnaire. Associations between stability indicators, child welfare involvement in the final year of high school, educational outcomes and routes into higher education were analysed. Findings Stability across three to four indicators was experienced by 40% of participants, while 47% reported changes across three to four indicators. Only 20% had a change of school as compared to 47%–60% for other indicators. During their final year of high school, 73% of participants were supported by the child welfare system, with 50% being supported via a support program specifically for 16- to 18-year-olds. Stability scores were significantly lower for this latter subgroup compared to those who spent time in foster or group care and those who did not receive child welfare support during the final year of high school. Ninety percent of participants graduated from high school, 67% with the grades required to attend university. Three trajectories into undergraduate study were identified but could not be predicted using regression models. Originality/value This paper focuses on what has supported progression into a research-intensive university for care-experienced young adults and highlights the role of support programs for 16- to 18-year-olds.

Montenegrins in the Ottoman Empire as ‘Enemy Aliens’ during World War I (1914–1918)

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the Ottoman Empire and Montenegro, which no longer shared a border due to the shifted territories following the Balkan Wars (1912–13), faced each other as belligerents in two different coalitions (the Entente and the Central powers). Throughout this process, Montenegrin citizens, both Muslim and non-Muslim, living in the Ottoman territories and working in various fields, suddenly found themselves as enemy subjects. This article analyses what it was like for Montenegrins living in the Ottoman territory during the war by assessing their legal status, naturalisation, internment and the security measures taken against them. In the light of Ottoman archival documents and within the framework of the concept of enemy aliens, this article examines just how the war affected these forgotten citizens of Montenegro – who have long been overlooked and overshadowed in scholarly works by the subjects of the Great Powers – and how the Ottoman administration treated them in the context of state security.

Gender diversity and profit efficiency of microfinance institutions: A Sub-Saharan study.

Irrespective of the promising opportunity to improve profit efficiency by at least 73%, microfinance institutions operating in Sub-Saharan Africa are efficient only for 27%, far below the average value. The conclusion is drawn after analyzing the profit efficiency of the microfinance institutions using the stochastic frontier approach applied to data obtained from 128 microfinance institutions operating in 34 Sub-Saharan African countries. The study results suggest the presence of uniform profit efficiency experience across time among microfinance institutions. Microfinance institutions operating in low-income countries and credit union form microfinance are economically more efficient than their counterparts. Furthermore, the profit efficiency of microfinance institutions is significantly affected by total assets, cost per loan, loan per staff, legal status, and the county's income group of microfinance. Notably, the profit efficiency of microfinance institutions is adversely affected by the presence of female borrowers and female loan officers suggesting that gender diversity plays a role in the efficiency of microfinance institutions. Finally, we recommend that the managing body of microfinance work more on improving labor efficiency, earning asset utilization, loan collection efficiency, women's involvement and the hottest technology implementation.

Административно-правовой статус Агентства по страхованию вкладов

The article examines the Deposit Insurance Agency (hereinafter referred to as the Agency), determines its administrative and legal status. All the powers and functions of the Agency have been analyzed. The problem of the legal status of the Agency as a state corporation, including in the bankruptcy procedure, is investigated. The Agency is a special state corporation with responsibilities to carry out effective and responsible management of funds included in the deposit insurance fund. He also has the right to act as a bankruptcy trustee. The Agency is the main link in the banking system of the state, ensuring effective protection of depositors from loss of insured deposits, as well as stable operation of the banking system as a whole, increasing the level of confidence of the Russian population in the banking system, which coordinates the work of the deposit insurance system based on the legislation of the Russian Federation.

A conceptual framework for reframing artisanal and small-scale mining: understanding characterization of artisanal and small-scale mining in South Africa

The categorization of artisanal and small-scale mining has a significant impact on perception and understanding of the sector, particularly from a livelihood perspective. Several developing countries classify different types of artisanal and small-scale mining based on legal status. Given the nature such activities, the tragedy of the commons theory has been applied to understand the inevitable environmental, economic, sociocultural, safety, and health negative externalities - which are products of informality and illegality. Consequently, formalization is a panacea to sustainability. This article aims to offer a conceptual organization and foundational knowledge for characterization of artisanal and small-scale mining. It seeks to identify existing literature on the subject to avoid replication and acknowledge other scholars. Moreover, the article aims to place the study within the context of existing literature, establishing relationships with other studies and why the research is necessary. This paper pinpoints gaps left from other studies in so far as the characterization of artisanal and small-scale mining is concerned. Thus, reviewing literature abetted in finding similarities and differences on how artisanal and small-scale mining is defined from a scholarly and legal basis. The paper ascertains major claims made by earlier research on this topic, such as environmental impacts, the lack of adequate regulatory framework, and presents querying and probing questions lacking from other studies.

A gendered ‘politics of discomfort’: the effects of immigration- and integration policies on Syrian and Eritrean women’s homemaking processes in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT Following scholars who critique integration with a homemaking lens (Boccagni and Hondagneu-Sotelo 2023), this paper studies the impact of immigration- and integration policies on Syrian and Eritrean women’s homemaking processes in the Netherlands, and produces knowledge on the gendered effects of migration-related policies on individuals (Freedman 2017). Based on analyses of legal and policy documents, and life history interviews, observations, and mapping- and photo journaling exercises held with forty-five Syrian and Eritrean women in the Netherlands, I show how procedures to obtain legal residence, reception centres, different legal statuses, spatial dispersal policy, the Integration Act and the Participation Act pursue a ‘politics of discomfort’ (Darling 2011). While designed to promote ‘integration’, these policies construct a demanding, opaque and punitive system that restricts individual control and subjects homemaking to ‘path dependencies’. This discomfort is gendered, as policies occasionally reinforce women’s dependence on men, perpetuate racialised and gendered stereotypes, and break down especially women’s work- and social roles. As the system renders homemaking in public difficult, it induces women’s isolation. Contesting state-inflicted uncertainty, exclusion and isolation, many Syrian and Eritrean women eventually do manage to (re)make home. However, the Dutch state works to produce rather than repair their generally underprivileged position in Dutch society.

Программно-целевое управление территорией геопарков: правовые и экономические аспекты

The authors analyzed the legal problems of organizing geoparks in Russia. The research methods are the comparative legal method. The main results of the study include the fact that the authors proposed a model of the legal status of geoparks. The novelty of the work is justified by the fact that there are practically no publications in the scientific legal environment devoted to the organization, creation and development of geoparks. Attempts are being made in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to adopt regional legislation on geoparks, the provisions of which, in some cases, contradict the norms of Russian environmental and other sectoral legislation. The conclusions of the work are as follows. It is necessary to adopt a special federal law in which it is necessary to introduce the concept of "geopark". The legislation on geoparks should specify the possible organizational and legal form of the created geoparks, or the governing bodies of the created territory in accordance with the current federal legislation and the legislation of the subjects of the Russian Federation, as well as the goals of creating geoparks, namely: protection of valuable geological objects; attraction of the local population to small and medium-sized businesses. It is proposed to provide provisions on the mechanism for ensuring the implementation of investment projects by the state and private investors in the territories of geoparks, to work out the mechanism of territorial zoning of geoparks, to consolidate the system of principles of legal regulation in the field of creation, management and development of geoparks and preservation of geological heritage.

‘All my friends here are ghosts’: everyday geo-legalities in a rural poultry town

ABSTRACT In recent years, feminist legal geographers have pressed for deeper engagement with the lived experience of law’s spatial logics including methodologies that extend beyond the study of legal discourse, practice, and enforcement to include ethnographic and other qualitative approaches that centre the experiences of those living with legal precarity. Building upon the work of feminist political geographers concerned with intimacy geopolitics, the concept of everyday geo-legalities emphasizes the ways that people interpret the spatiality of law, legal practice, and state policing and how it affects their lives, livelihoods and im/mobilities. This research reveals how undocumented im/migrants in a small, rural poultry town interpret and socially negotiate their racialized legal status in terms of im/mobility, heighted workplace pressure, increased job-related health risks, persistent fears of immigration raids, family separation and deportation, and prejudice and policing due to discourses of racialized criminalization. Social and familial relations, however, are central to the everyday negotiation of these dynamics, as community connections and care emerge from experiences of marginalization. This paper thus emphasizes how social relations are central to analysing the complexities and contradictions of everyday legal geographies.

Civil Regulation of Genomic Data Sharing

The legal regulation of relations concerning genomic information has undergone several transformations over recent years in the Russian Federation. Not only is a universal approach towards the regulation of such relations in civil law, including regarding the possibility of sharing such information, currently lacking, the concept of genomic information remains poorly defined as an object of civil rights. A special legal regime for big genomic data capable of processing with the help of artificial intelligence technologies is also lacking in the current legislation of the Russian Federation. Considering the great potential value of genomic data for all of humanity, and the need for the sharing of such data, a proposed balanced approach will ensure the sharing of genomic data with proper protection of personal non-propertyand other rights. Thus, the present work sets out to identify the specific features of genomic data sharing. When determining the civil legal regime for genomic information and genomic data, a balance between public and private interests can be ensured by maintaining personal non-property rights, ensuring the confidentiality of personal data, and obtaining consent for the dissemination of information in accordance with the law. However, in order to do this, it is necessary to distinguish conceptually between genomic information about a particular person and the genomic data on the basis of which such genomic information is obtained. The civil legal status of human biological material should be determined along with regulations for its processing to obtain genomic information at the same time as defining the legal regime for regulating biobanks in which such human biological material can be stored.

THE LEGAL CONCERNS OF THE SETTLEMENT DISPUTES BY THE COUNCIL ON THE INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION

Background: The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a “Club” of sovereign States. ICAO is a specialised United Nations agency (UN) with 193 Member States. If a dispute between these States and the diplomatic channels does not find a mutual solution, disagreement arises; however, the ICAO Council has an essential function in settling disputes. This settlement procedure is structured under the Chicago Convention (1944), the Rules for the Settlement of Differences (1957) and the Rules of Procedure for the Council (1969). However, Member States do not welcome these provisions, demonstrated by the scarcity of dispute settlement procedures before the ICAO Council in the last 80 years. This article introduces these legal disputes and looks for justifications based on the nature of the cases. The Council is a unique permanent body within ICAO. Although ICAO in the former century became rather a political (diplomatic) body upon its foundation, that is why the absence of successfully concluded dispute resolutions is a legal viewpoint that is more than interesting. This research paper reveals examples of the lack of effectiveness of the ICAO Council’s dispute settlement, focusing on the nature of the State’s interests and the outcomes of the procedure, furthermore, the role in these disputes in front of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or arbitration. Methods: This article focuses on understanding and analysing the historical context, international cooperation and diplomacy, and the regulatory landscape of dispute resolutions and settlements. The search was based on databases, academic journals, and official publications from aviation authorities and organisations such as ICAO. The research utilised qualitative and quantitative methods based on empirical observations and examinations (document analysis and case studies). Results and conclusions: The ICAO Council has rule-making, judicial and administrative functions. It is a quasi-judicial body, and its President has the authority to settle disputes among the contracting States. However, if we look at the history, in the last 80 years, only 10 cases were handled by the ICAO Council. The main reason for the lack of ICAO Council dispute settlement decisions is the growing diplomatic (political) function of the ICAO Council. Aviation is a crucial commercial activity for every State, meaning the aviation industry is determined by political interests and decisions. Such political interests and subtle international relations often prevent States from submitting themselves to binding legal procedures. Another reason for fewer disputes before the ICAO Council is the need for more provisions and rules to support transparent and legally binding decisions. The current rules are neither appropriate nor comprehensive enough and cannot be executed in the same manner as court decisions. In addition, the ICAO Council’s decision can be appealed to non-ICAO bodies such as the International Court of Justice. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the whole processual mechanism be revised or that a new, dedicated judicial body with clear legal status, jurisdiction, and competence for dispute resolutions be created.

Human Rights in the Context of Global Migration

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to explore human rights in the context of global migration. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to human rights in the context of global migration. Preliminary empirical review revealed that global migration is deeply intertwined with significant human rights issues that vary across different regions and migrant populations. Migrants, regardless of their reasons for moving or legal status, frequently faced exploitation, discrimination, inadequate access to essential services, and social exclusion. The study emphasized that these human rights violations were often systemic and influenced by broader socio-political and economic structures. It highlighted the pervasive nature of rights violations at multiple stages of the migration process and pointed out substantial gaps in the implementation and enforcement of international frameworks designed to protect migrants. Specific groups, such as women, children, and undocumented migrants, were identified as particularly vulnerable, necessitating tailored interventions. The study argued that protecting migrants' human rights was both a moral and pragmatic necessity for fostering inclusive societies and called for a renewed commitment from all stakeholders to work collaboratively towards this goal. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Human Rights Theory, Push- Pull Theory of Migration and Social Capital Theory may be used to anchor future studies on global migration. The study recommended further development of migration and human rights theories to account for the complexities of contemporary migration flows, suggesting interdisciplinary approaches to enhance theoretical frameworks. Practically, it underscored the need for targeted support services for vulnerable migrant groups, the creation of safe migration pathways, and the establishment of specialized services addressing their unique needs. Policy recommendations included the adoption of comprehensive national and international policies that uphold the rights of all migrants, the enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and the establishment of independent monitoring bodies. The study advocated for enhanced international cooperation to address migration challenges and suggested investing in data collection and research for informed policy-making. It also recommended promoting public awareness and education campaigns to foster inclusive attitudes towards migrants and counteract negative stereotypes, aiming to create a more just and humane global migration system.

Bibliometric Patent Review of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery.

This study analyzes patents associated with minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) found on the Lens open online platform. The goal of this research was to provide an overview of the most referenced patents in the field of MISS and to uncover patterns in the evolution and categorization of these patents. MISS has rapidly progressed, with a core focus on minimizing surgical damage, preserving the natural anatomy, and enabling swift recovery, all while achieving outcomes that rival traditional open surgery. While prior studies have primarily concentrated on MISS outcomes, the analysis of MISS patents has been limited. To conduct this study, we used the Lens platform to search for patents that included the terms "minimally invasive" and "spine" in their titles, abstracts, or claims. We then categorized these patents and identified the top 100 with the most forward citations. We further classified these patents into 4 categories: Spinal Stabilization Systems, Joint Implants or Procedures, Screw Delivery System or Method, and Access and Surgical Pathway Formation. Five hundred two MISS patents were identified initially, and 276 were retained following a screening process. Among the top 100 patents, the majority had active legal status. The largest category within the top 100 patents was Access and Surgical Pathway Formation, closely followed by Spinal Stabilization Systems and Joint Implants or Procedures. The smallest category was Screw Delivery System or Method. Notably, the majority of the top 100 patents had priority years falling between 2000 and 2009, indicating a moderate positive correlation between patent rank and priority year. Thus far, patents related to Access and Surgical Pathway Formation have laid the foundation for subsequent innovations in Spinal Stabilization Systems and Screw Technology. This study serves as a valuable resource for guiding future innovations in this rapidly evolving field.

Comfort, or not comfort, that is the question. The legal status and consequences of comfort letters issued by the European Commission in State aid cases

ABSTRACT The paper discusses issues not touched upon in legal literature, namely the legal status and consequences of comfort letters issued by the European Commission in State aid cases. The European Commission has exclusive competence to examine the compliance of support provided by Member States to domestic undertakings with State aid rules. Under EU law, the Commission's final position on the State aid character of the assessed measure must take the form of a decision. However, sometimes, the proceedings are concluded not by a decision but by a comfort letter. It presents the final position of the European Commission and, in many cases, ends the procedure. However, the legal character of the Commission's comfort letters may raise doubts. The article explains the concept of comfort letters issued in State aid cases, their legal status, and the consequences they bring to interested parties.

(De)legitimization of Private Soldiers without Legal Status: The Case of Ukraine

ABSTRACT For several decades, the increased need for but the illegality of mercenaries led Western countries to favor the evolution of these private soldiers into corporate forms under the name of private military contractors (PMCs). While the number of new Western PMCs was increasing and their use was being attempted to be legitimized, underfitting mercenary-like PMCs, such as those in Russia, were condemned as illegal and illegitimate. Russian forces’ renewed invasion of Ukraine in 2022 marked the beginning of the argument about the legality and legitimacy of the use of private soldiers once again. This article aims to reveal if the Russo-Ukrainian war tends to contribute to the legitimization efforts of Western PMCs positively or negatively by exploring the changes in the qualities distinguishing between Western and mercenary-like PMCs. The study concludes that the Russo-Ukrainian war undermined the legitimization course of Western PMCs in the first half of 2022, whereas, in the second half, it has served the legimization efforts.

The Therapeutic Potential and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Neuroprotective Effects of Sativex® - A Cannabis-derived Spray.

Sativex is a cannabis-based medicine that comes in the form of an oromucosal spray. It contains equal amounts of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, two compounds derived from cannabis plants. Sativex has been shown to have positive effects on symptoms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and sleep disorders. It also has analgesic, antiinflammatory, antitumoral, and neuroprotective properties, which make it a potential treatment option for other neurological disorders. The article reviews the results of recent preclinical and clinical studies that support the therapeutic potential of Sativex and the molecular mechanisms behind its neuroprotective benefits in various neurological disorders. The article also discusses the possible advantages and disadvantages of using Sativex as a neurotherapeutic agent, such as its safety, efficacy, availability, and legal status.

The illegalisation of Rohingya refugees in India: a (non)citizenship crisis promoted by law and policy

ABSTRACT Detentions and a looming threat of deportations have significantly increased for Rohingya refugees since 2017, when the Indian government drastically changed its protection policy and categorised them as ‘illegal migrants’ under law. The result has been an impetus to the security authorities to proactively detect and monitor with the eventual aim to detain and deport Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Fuelling such illegalisation process is the Indian authorities’ arbitrary manipulation and contraction of the long-standing hosting of certain ‘non-citizen’ refugees in the country to suit the politics of the day. In addition, the Supreme Court (ostensibly the arbiter of rights for all within India’s territory) recently issued an interim order which effectively approved this Rohingya refugee ‘illegalisation’ position, hardening the perilous illegalisation of the community in India. To interrogate these developments, the present article analyses the growing illegalisation through detention and deportation of Rohingyas in India by contextualising the conception of ‘non-citizenship’ as a legal status and a normative category. The article proposes that the notion of ‘non-citizenship’ must be engaged with in a broader analytical manner than a static illegality based on lack of documents, in legal, judicial and policy discussions around refugee protection in India.

COVID-19 infection and 2-year mortality in nursing home residents who survived the first wave of the pandemic

BackgroundDuring the first COVID-19 pandemic wave (1st CoPW), nursing homes (NHs) experienced a high rate of COVID-19 infection and death. Residents who survived the COVID-19 infection may have become frailer. This study aimed to determine the predictive value of having a COVID-19 infection during the 1st CoPW for 2-year mortality in NH residents.MethodsThis was a retrospective study conducted in three NHs. Residents who had survived the 1st CoPW (March to May 2020) were included. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was based on the results of a positive reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test. The collected data also included age, sex, length of residence in the NH, disability status, legal guardianship status, nutritional status, need for texture-modified food, hospitalization or Emergency Department visits during lockdown and SARS-COV2 vaccination status during the follow-up. Non-adjusted and adjusted Cox models were used to analyse factors associated with 2-year post-1st CoPW mortality.ResultsAmong the 315 CoPW1 survivors (72% female, mean age 88 years, 48% with severe disability), 35% presented with COVID-19. Having a history of COVID-19 was not associated with 2-year mortality: hazard ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval] = 0.96 [0.81–1.13], p = 0.62. The factors independently associated with 2-year mortality were older age (for each additional year, HR = 1.05 [1.03–1.08], p < 0.01), severe disability vs. moderate or no disability (HR = 1.35 [1.12–1.63], p < 0.01) and severe malnutrition vs. no malnutrition (HR = 1.29 [1.04–1.60], p = 0.02). Considering that vaccination campaign started during the follow-up, mortality was associated with severe malnutrition before and severe disability after the start of the campaign. Vaccination was independently associated with better survival (HR 0.71 [0.55–0.93], p = 0.02).ConclusionsHaving survived a COVID-19 infection during the 1st CoPW did not affect subsequent 2-year survival in older adults living in NHs. Severe malnutrition and disability remained strong predictor of mortality in this population, whereas vaccination was associated to better survival.

The Legal Status and Improvement Path of Human Genetic Data in Gene Therapy in China.

In the legal context of Chinese law, genetic data are an object of complex rights. At the level of private law, genetic data contain personal information, thus being protected by the Civil Code and the Personal Information Protection Law. At the level of public law, genetic data are important genetic resource that embody both public and national interests, which should also be regulated by public laws such as the Biosecurity Law and the Data Security Law. The recently issued Regulation on the Administration of Human Genetic Resources have refined the approval and record procedure, in order to promote the utilization of genetic data in China. At present, China still lacks sufficient protection for genetic data privacy, and the "informed consent" and "anonymization" system cannot work effectively. On the path of improvement, we should break constraints of individualism and start from the following three levels to strengthen genetic data privacy protection: formulating specialized legislation and leveraging the functions of group organizations and public interest litigation systems.