A screenshot shows website "China Judgments Online". It is now the biggest of its kind in the world.(File photo)

Are marriage and divorce records private information? Should divorce decrees be made public?

China's Supreme People's court issued new rules on the disclosure of judgments and verdicts online, stating that five kinds of decrees related to private and classified information should not be posted online, as a privacy protection measure.

These decrees include cases related to state secrets; papers about juvenile delinquency; cases that end in mediation; divorce decrees or papers containing information about child custody, and other circumstances where the courts believe it would not be appropriate for the information to be made public.

The changes come into effect on October 1st this year.

Reaction on the internet has not been universally good, with some complaining that these new regulations are a bad idea.

Some internet users complain that these new regulations are a bad idea.[Photo:Weibo]

"These decrees should have offered references to other similar cases. But now they are sealed," one internet user named "Xian'er Shyn" commented on Weibo, China's most popular micro-blogging site.

On the other side of the coin.

One internet user comments that cases considered to be private should never be made public. [Photo:Weibo]

"Privacy is privacy. Papers considered to be private should never be made public," a user named "Feng Zai Jiang Hu 805899" said.

Li Liang, Adjudication Director at a top court further explains how they will improve the protection of privacy.

"We protect private rights by concealing clients' names in special cases, such as divorces, succession disputes, and juvenile delinquency. These people include plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses, and judicial appraisers," Li said.

Besides the rule revision, the top court has also released a mobile app to provide users with easier access to the documents, as a complement to its current website-- "China Judgments Online", which started in July 2013.

The website is now the biggest of its kind in the world, with more than 20 million Chinese judgments already on it. It has so far registered 2 billion visits, a quarter of which from users overseas.