Media

Key Takeaways

• Information and communications technology policy in China is now predominantly shaped by national security issues. Beijing has constructed a set of laws and rules that strictly control internet data and determine how companies and other organizations may use, manage, and transfer data domestically and overseas.
• The result is a vague patchwork of rules, definitions, and requirements that have become a major headache for both Chinese and foreign businesses, especially those that operate globally.
• The top goal for the Beijing government is to fully control the information space, to ensure ideological conformity and strengthen social stability.
• The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has been, and will continue to be, central to the development, execution, and enforcement of Beijing’s policies, even as other parts of the government attempt to tamp down some of the most onerous provisions of China’s strict approach.
• The future direction of policy may be shaped by whether or not China’s topmost ofcials identify tight data rules as a contributor to China’s sluggish economic performance.