China passes the world's strictest user data protection law
China has passed one of the most restrictive data protection laws in the world, tightening control over how personal information is collected and used by companies in the country.
Credit: Li Yang/Unsplash
The Personal Information Protection Law lays out a comprehensive set of rules around data collection, processing, and protection, the Associated Press reported Friday. Previously, regulations on user data were spread out through patchwork legislation.
It specifically targets how private companies handle user data. The law doesn't appear to affect the Chinese government's surveillance efforts.
The law is set to take effect on Nov. 1. It gives specific standards for what type of information private companies in China can collect, as well as standards related to the storage of that data. However, the full text of the law hasn't been made available, the AP reported.
Additionally, the law mandates that companies get user consent before they collect data and also requires companies to offer customers the ability to withdraw consent at any time. It also bars companies from denying services to customers who refuse to hand over their information.
Shares of Chinese companies like Alibaba sank on news of the law's passage. The new data protection bill also closely follows antitrust actions taken against companies like Tencent and Alibaba.
The law reflects a new economic strategy from Beijing, which includes wanting technology giants to make money from the digitalization of public services rather than social media data, Rebecca Arcesati, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, told the AP.
Although the legislation is similar to the European Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it differs in that it doesn't mention anything about limiting the ability of the ruling party or the government to access user information in China.
Violating the law's regulations could also carry a steep price tag for companies, including fines up to $7.7 million or up to 5% of the company's business income in the previous year.
Although the law largely targets Chinese-based companies, it does include provisions that dictate how foreign companies can handle Chinese citizens' data. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that most companies that are compliant with the GDPR will already be mostly ready for the Chinese law.
It's likely that the regulation will mostly affect companies that deal heavily in customer data. Apple, for its part, has taken steps to minimize the data it collects on users. The Cupertino tech giant also complies with Chinese regulations, including rules that require iCloud data to be stored on domestic servers.
Read on AppleInsider
Credit: Li Yang/Unsplash
The Personal Information Protection Law lays out a comprehensive set of rules around data collection, processing, and protection, the Associated Press reported Friday. Previously, regulations on user data were spread out through patchwork legislation.
It specifically targets how private companies handle user data. The law doesn't appear to affect the Chinese government's surveillance efforts.
The law is set to take effect on Nov. 1. It gives specific standards for what type of information private companies in China can collect, as well as standards related to the storage of that data. However, the full text of the law hasn't been made available, the AP reported.
Additionally, the law mandates that companies get user consent before they collect data and also requires companies to offer customers the ability to withdraw consent at any time. It also bars companies from denying services to customers who refuse to hand over their information.
Shares of Chinese companies like Alibaba sank on news of the law's passage. The new data protection bill also closely follows antitrust actions taken against companies like Tencent and Alibaba.
The law reflects a new economic strategy from Beijing, which includes wanting technology giants to make money from the digitalization of public services rather than social media data, Rebecca Arcesati, an analyst at the Mercator Institute for China Studies, told the AP.
Although the legislation is similar to the European Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it differs in that it doesn't mention anything about limiting the ability of the ruling party or the government to access user information in China.
Violating the law's regulations could also carry a steep price tag for companies, including fines up to $7.7 million or up to 5% of the company's business income in the previous year.
Although the law largely targets Chinese-based companies, it does include provisions that dictate how foreign companies can handle Chinese citizens' data. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that most companies that are compliant with the GDPR will already be mostly ready for the Chinese law.
It's likely that the regulation will mostly affect companies that deal heavily in customer data. Apple, for its part, has taken steps to minimize the data it collects on users. The Cupertino tech giant also complies with Chinese regulations, including rules that require iCloud data to be stored on domestic servers.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
there it is.
Thumbs for that.
It would be a punch to the gut for some companies (big and.not so big) and I don't like to see people lose their jobs, but surveillance capitalism isn't something that should have been relied on for mega billions in the first place.
“Surveillance capitalism”? What kind of babbling bullshit is this?
You and your own opinion on the subject not withstanding, it is important to anyone else reading this: make no mistake, huge amounts of your private data is collected by many companies (Google and Facebook are collecting the most, but not even remotely close to the only ones). This is done in significant part thanks to App Tracking (one installed App tracks what you do across your others apps/phone). If someone thinks this is no big dea, like who I am responding to, then this reply isn't for you. For those that do care, especially ones railing against CSAM with Apple, understand Apple is by far one of the least data collecting Companies out there. And if you are going to be upset about what Apple has done, open your eyes to the massive data collection that is going on constantly.
Don't take my word for it, request your free emailed copy of your data from Apple, Google, Facebook (just expect Google and Facebook downloads to take a long time).
How To Destroy Surveillance Capitalism by Cory Doctorow
The Age Of Surveillance Capitalism by Shoshana Zuboff
(Both available in e copy)Ask Google. Or Facebook. They are the experts. This is an Apple forum.
I think the real reason for this new law in China is so that the CCP can say to a Chinese business, "We'll turn a blind eye to your data theft if you let us take a copy of the data." In other words, this law actually does give the CCP more power.
If what you're doing is "less than legal" then shouldn't you be arrested? Why would you blame government for doing what it is supposed to do?