China launches nationwide survey on data resources, from AI firms to police
- Related entities are being asked how they produce, store, circulate, trade, develop and use data, and also about data security
- NDA says the goal is to provide support for future policymaking and establishing ‘data application demonstration zones’
China has begun the first nationwide survey of data resources, with all related entities – from companies to the police – asked to provide information about their data assets.
According to one expert, the inclusion of police data in the survey suggests it has the support of the top leadership, which is pushing digitalisation as part of efforts to drive economic growth and technology development.
It has asked entities how they produce, store, circulate, trade, develop and use data, and also about data security, according to a statement released on Monday by the NDA, Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Public Security.
They will have to fill out online questionnaires, to be submitted by March 5.
China’s digital economy push for 12 sectors sets sights on finance, tech, farms
The survey aims to “provide data support for future policymaking and the establishment of data application demonstration zones”, the NDA said in the statement.
The NDA has been operating since October and was set up to oversee data governance as Beijing seeks to rise up the industrial value chain and drive growth while navigating US-led technology choke points.
Under the plan, China should also have more than 300 “typical” data applications, a few data application demonstration zones, and an array of “innovative and influential” data providers and third-party agencies by 2026.
China generated about 8.1 zettabytes of data in 2022, an amount that would fill more than 8 billion high-end home computers, placing it second only to the US, according to CAC data.
The value of China’s digital economy reached 50.2 trillion yuan (US$6.98 trillion) in 2022, accounting for 41.5 per cent of GDP.
A researcher with Tsinghua University in Beijing said one of the NDA’s key missions was “to integrate the massive data resources owned by various kinds of entities”.
“The involvement of the Ministry of Public Security – which was not among the 17 ministries and administrations which endorsed the [NDA’s] 2024 to 2026 action plan – probably indicates support from the top leadership,” said the researcher, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
“Understanding what they own is the only first step. The real challenge down the road will be persuading them to hand over their data, especially those in the hands of the government,” he added.
China aims to bring mega computing network online by next year in data power push
For the survey, provincial public security departments will have to state how many “key systems” and “key infrastructure” handled their “key data” in the last two years. They will also be asked how many data security cases they handled in 2022 and 2023.
Telecoms operators will have to provide the names and business areas of overseas entities that visited the top 10 websites and apps in China in the past two years. They will also be asked about traffic volume – including inbound and outbound – in 2022 and 2023.
Internet platforms and technology companies will also have to provide information on traffic, as well as users and servers, and to state whether they use AI in data analysis and other areas.
