CEO Talk: Matthias Schroeder + Regulation of Algorithms

The relationship between the individual and the judicial system is an essential dimension in every society. Lawyer Matthias Schroeder provides inside knowledge on the situation in China. He was born in Beijing and this is where he practices law today. Schroeder sees a system that most Chinese citizens find perfectly adequate. While the law firm founder certainly recognizes the weaknesses of China’s current legal system, political influence on most disputes is minimal. The much-dreaded injustice is largely felt by those least involved in politics. In our CEO Talk, Schroeder describes why the majority of Chinese citizens, who have been socialized in China, are actually quite content with the legal system. After all, it is now already much more developed than it was during the previous generation.

But the constant development of laws also brings new challenges for the Communist Party. It changes thinking and raises the bar. One example is the new data protection law. It mandates in detail what China’s economy is allowed to do with customers’ data, or rather, what they are no longer allowed to do. However, it is only a small step from here to the question of what the state actually intends to do with citizens’ data. “The genie is out of the bottle,” says Schroeder.

Many experts agree that China’s data protection in the commercial area is now overtaking even that of the EU and US. The government just isn’t afraid to get its hands dirty. In today’s analysis, we look at the ongoing regulation of algorithms. Chinese citizens will be able to access data points and assessments on their preferences stored by service providers. This is a right that many Germans would also like when it comes to their data stored by Google, Amazon and Facebook.

Have a pleasant week!

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Finn Mayer-Kuckuk