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TechTech leaders and founders

Baidu chief calls for coordinated Chinese government approach for personal data collected during pandemic

  • Central and provincial governments have pushed to gather and analyse more data to contain the spread of the coronavirus during the pandemic
  • To reduce the risks of data leakage and abuse, Baidu chief executive Robin Li proposes that government bodies standardise the management of such data

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Robin Li Yanhong, co-founder and chairman of Baidu. Photo: Handout
Sarah Dai
Baidu chief executive Robin Li Yanhong has called for Chinese government bodies to work together on a coordinated approach to manage the personal data collected and stored during the coronavirus pandemic.
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In a proposal for the Two Sessions, China’s annual legislative and political advisory gathering that is slated to kick off on Thursday, the billionaire tech leader suggested having an opt-out mechanism to withdraw personal data that was collected during the pandemic.

Government bodies should also study standards relating to the collection, storage and use of personal data under “special circumstances” and standardise the management of such data to reduce the risk of data leakage and abuse, Li wrote in his proposal, which was released to the public on Wednesday.

As they raced to contain the spread of the outbreak that started in January, China’s central and provincial governments have been gathering and analysing even more data, by extending real-name registration and facial recognition requirements to over-the-counter purchases of medicine and all forms of public transport.

While some residents expressed willingness to sacrifice privacy for public safety, there have also been privacy concerns raised over the possible abuse of this data, especially as China emerges from the worst of the outbreak.

A delegate at the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Li is also proposing to speed up efforts to build a nationwide digital infrastructure and smart transport systems using the latest technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, and to increase tax subsidies for training and continued education.

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