China's top legislature approved a number of criminal law amendments Saturday to better protect personal information and to punish bribe-taking relatives of officials.

The amendments, which take effect as from Saturday, also imposed penalty on hackers and on people who were involved in pyramid selling and illegal banking.

One of the amendments targeted interested parties conducting "mouse warehouse acts", or acts of transmitting others' interests to related parties unlawfully in securities trading, to non-financial personnel.

The 11th National People's Congress Standing Committee approved the amendments at its seventh meeting, which was held from Feb. 25 to 28.

(Xinhua News Agency February 28, 20090