Demystifying data law in China: a unified regime of tomorrow

The development of big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence technology drives not only the transformation of the Chinese economy but also a new way of life that is seamlessly integrated with technology. The troves of data generated by users and processed by various business operators fuel the remarkable growth of businesses. Data are therefore widely regarded as a fundamental strategic resource and a crucial factor of production in China. Data can be used to identify individuals, revealing their political views, habits, hobbies, consumption preferences, physical movements, and other traits. Data might also be regarded as a commercial secret of Internet products providers due to the competitive advantage it might offer. Data are also critical to upholding public and national interests.1 The newly enacted government regulations aim to aggressively regulate China’s mobile applications, e-commerce, and ‘smart’ products. The Chinese government’s much-touted ‘The Outline of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan...