China’s lawmakers review draft data security law as digital economy grows
- Legal experts say it aims to protect individual privacy but also to promote the use of government data through ‘controllable open platform’
- Beijing is pushing sectors like artificial intelligence and big data, but industry experts say regulation is lagging behind
China’s top lawmaking body has begun reviewing draft data security legislation that legal experts say aims to protect individual privacy but also promote the use of government data.
It was submitted to the National People’s Congress Standing Committee for the first reading on Sunday, official news agency Xinhua reported.
The draft says that the state will protect “legitimate rights of individuals and organisations” over the use of their data, and “promote the development of the digital economy”, according to the report.
Yue Zhongming, spokesman for the NPC Legislative Affairs Committee, said late last year that the standing committee planned to finish the review by the end of 2020. Lawmakers usually vote on new legislation after three readings.
Liu Deliang, a law professor at Beijing Normal University, said a data security law was essential in China as the country sought to grow its digital economy.