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Data protection in China

For years, Chinese and international companies were able to grow almost unregulated. China’s data protection act is intended to prevent that in the future. New data rules have massive consequences for international companies: from data trading centers to surveillance. Data transfer in particular is affected.

From algorithms to data laws to hacker attacks – current China data protection news from the Table.editorial team.

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All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Last Thursday, China’s new data transfer law came into force. This was announced by the responsible Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on its website. In all likelihood, the law on cross-border data transfer will lead to foreign companies increasingly storing their data in China. So far, the CAC authorities require all affected companies to fill […] continue reading →

TikTok collects user data it does not need, censors content Beijing does not like, and connects to servers in the People's Republic of China. Nevertheless, the company sticks to its claim of being completely independent of the Chinese parent company ByteDance. In order to credibly convey this, internal guidelines give PR employees an arsenal of standard statements. continue reading →

The British Parliament has closed its TikTok account over privacy concerns. MPs feared that TikTok’s Chinese parent company could pass on data to the government in Beijing. MPs had previously written to the speakers of the House of Commons and House of Lords.According to Sky News, a Tory MP explained that managers at TikTok could […] continue reading →

The Chinese leadership has long seen data as a strategic resource and has declared it a “factor of production” in 2020. This frames data protection and cross-border data transfer in an explicit national security light. The lack of clarity of rules has been a major concern to MNC’s globally integrated IT systems. The release of recently published regulations sheds some light on requirements for cross-border data transfer. continue reading →

According to insiders, Chinese authorities are preparing a fine of more than €1 billion against ride service provider DiDi. The payment is for more than ¥8 billion (equivalent to €1.25 billion), about five percent of DiDi’s annual revenue, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. The Wall Street Journal reported on it first. The […] continue reading →

Chinese short video platform TikTok has postponed a controversial change in the handling of user data at the last moment. According to the Italian data protection authority, on Wednesday TikTok wanted to use the data available on users’ devices for personalized advertising without their consent. Now the group postponed the implementation of the plans. The […] continue reading →

The Shanghai police have apparently been incredibly careless with citizens' data. China's government now wants to enforce existing laws more strictly. After all, the incident shows: The authorities may be collecting data like crazy, but in some cases, they are astonishingly careless. continue reading →

China is the world's largest Internet market. But it remains closed to many western providers. In recent months, more apps and online service providers have shut down. Censorship, new laws and regulations, and high costs are believed to be the cause. continue reading →

Through VIE companies, Chinese firms can trade their shares on foreign stock exchanges. The authorities now plan to crack down on this. They are concerned that domestic tech companies working with sensitive data could become too international. continue reading →

The regulation of the IT industry is not over yet. Now it is time for the concrete implementation of the laws. The Ministry of Information has presented a draft for this. One of the most important points: Companies are not allowed to pass on "core data" beyond China's national borders without special permission - not even to their own subsidiaries. continue reading →

China's "Personal Information Protection Law" comes into force. It is intended to protect consumers' rights vis-à-vis companies. Large companies such as Tencent have already revised their data protection regulations. The law also has an impact on foreign companies. It is similar to the European data protection law in terms of the relationship between companies and customers. However, the state still exempts itself from the obligations in China. continue reading →

Matthias Schroeder, a Beijing-born German lawyer, talks about Chinese lawmakers who feel above their own laws, on different senses of justice between Germans and Chinese, and on the relationship between state and society. In his opinion, the new data protection law will bring about a decisive change for China. Frank Sieren spoke with Schroeder. continue reading →

China's Congress has passed the first national data protection law. Beijing has not only recognized the urgency to dry up the black market that has grown around consumer data. The government also wants to clarify the hitherto open questions surrounding dominance in the business with data. Will the authorities prevail against the tech corporations? continue reading →

New regulations by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will require automakers to account for the data collected by connected vehicles, reported by business portal Caixin. The upcoming tightening of regulations is seen as part of the large-scale reorganization of China’s tech industries towards more conformity. A key issue here is the location of […] continue reading →

Hong Kong's National Security Act is not only of political nature, it offers Chinese companies concrete advantages over Western competitors. State-owned enterprises can invoke national interests in the event of a dispute. With this Hong Kong is finally losing its status as an oasis of the rule of law, warns Dennis Kwok. Kwok was an MP for the pro-democracy Civic Party and now lives in exile. continue reading →

Beijing's action against Didi appears to be just the beginning of a wider campaign to seize control of China's thriving tech sector. China's tech entrepreneurs are in for a rude awakening. Meanwhile, Washington's worries may have unfounded. The Chinese government seems to be doing everything in its power to lose its tech race with the US. continue reading →

Tech company Bytedance is entering the digital education sector with the introduction of a surveillance camera built into a lamp. Parents should be able to keep an eye on their offspring from a distance while they do their homework. The driving force behind the favorable sales figures is the guilty conscience of parents who are trying to reconcile work and family. But the lamp with a built-in screen and tutoring function casts a grim shadow on the future of learning. continue reading →

The increasing number of IPOs of Chinese companies abroad is apparently a thorn in Beijing's side. Officials claim that there is great concern that foreign powers - for example in the US - could access their collected data. It is not yet clear whether the tightened rules are about a power struggle between the state and the private sector, or whether the state is actually committed to protecting its citizens' personal data. It's quite possible that both is true. continue reading →