The first and strict law on the collection and use of personal data that will affect tech companies has been approved in China. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly, the Xinhua news agency reported, has passed the law on “protection of personal information”, which will come into force on November 1st. A rule that according to political analysts, as noted by the Wall Street Journal, is unlikely to limit the widespread use of surveillance by the government.
China’s hold on retention of personal data
The law, which comes in the wake of the GDPR, contains provisions that require any organization or entity that manages the personal data of Chinese citizens to minimize the collection and obtain consent in advance, regarding for example – as Xinhua writes – the data biometric and health. The text was not released before approval, but – the agency reported in recent days – the law prohibits “the illegal collection, use, processing, transmission, disclosure and marketing of personal information” .
Xi Jinping’s real goal is to hit the tech giants
And it comes after the Didi company was among those targeted for the “illegal collection and use of personal information”. According to the CCTV, the law also provides that personal data cannot be used for profiling users for marketing purposes. All, underlines the CNN, in a country with a vast network of cameras, supported by facial recognition systems, used against crime but also to verify identities in subways, offices and schools.