China’s Big Tech firms to create user information oversight bodies under upcoming data privacy law
- China’s upcoming Personal Information Protection Law will have internet companies create independent bodies to oversee their compliance of data privacy regulations
- The law’s latest draft is undergoing a second round of review, as Beijing increases scrutiny of how Big Tech companies handle user data
The new draft requires internet platforms with a “large number of users” and “complex businesses” to establish “independent bodies” that oversee how they process personal data, according to the report.
It said each independent body, which will be primarily composed of people from outside the company, would be tasked with overseeing the firm’s regular publication of social responsibility reports involving personal data protection.
It remains unclear how the upcoming law’s latest draft defines a “large number of users” and the manner in which “independent bodies” will oversee the way internet platforms handle user data. This draft will soon be introduced to the public, while the law’s final version is expected to be rolled out within the year after a third round of review.
Putting the onus on Big Tech companies to become the gatekeepers for user data protection is a concept that is legally unprecedented internationally, according to Raymond Wang, a partner at law firm Anli Partners.