Editing Internet in China (section)

== Regulation ==
The [[Cyberspace Administration of China]] (CAC) is the primary agency for data regulation<ref name=":Zhang">{{Cite book |last=Zhang |first=Angela Huyue |title=High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9780197682258}}</ref>{{Rp|page=30}} and content regulation.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=P. Horsley |first=Jamie |date=August 8, 2022 |title=Behind the Facade of China's Cyber Super-Regulator |url=https://digichina.stanford.edu/work/behind-the-facade-of-chinas-cyber-super-regulator/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=DigiChina |publisher=[[Stanford University]] |language=en |archive-date=9 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909152619/https://digichina.stanford.edu/work/behind-the-facade-of-chinas-cyber-super-regulator/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It coordinates data regulation enforcement among relevant ministries, including the [[Ministry of Industry and Information Technology]] (MIIT) and the [[State Administration for Market Regulation]].<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=30}} The [[Ministry of Public Security (China)|Ministry of Public Security]] (MPS) has the primary responsibility for preventing cyberattacks.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=143}}

=== Regulatory priorities ===
In 2009, China amended its Criminal Law to create a low threshold for the prosecution of malicious cybercrimes and illegal data sales.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=131}}

Generally, China advocates for [[Network sovereignty|internet sovereignty]] and tends to prioritize cybersecurity more than personal data protection.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=121}} Chinese policymakers became increasingly concerned about the risk of cyberattacks following the [[2010s global surveillance disclosures]] by [[Edward Snowden]], which demonstrated extensive [[American espionage in China|United States intelligence activities in China]].<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=129}} As part of its response, the [[Chinese Communist Party|Communist Party]] in 2014 formed the Cybersecurity and Information [[Leading Small Group|Leading Group]].<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=|pages=129, 250}}

The 2017 [[Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China|Cyber Security Law]] was also part of China's response to increased risks of foreign surveillance and foreign data collection following the United States surveillance disclosures.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=250}} Among other provisions, the law has significant [[data localization]] requirements.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=250}} It is a major pillar of the Chinese data regulatory environment.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=131}}

Before the [[2020–2021 Xi Jinping Administration reform spree|2020-2021 Xi Jinping administration reform spree]], the regulatory environment for internet companies was relatively lax because the government sought to encourage the development of the [[big data]] economy.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=121}} The regulatory environment for tech companies subsequently became stricter and in 2021, two national data laws and a host of regulatory guidelines were promulgated, broadening the scope of government enforcement and increasing the penalties for personal data violations.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=122}} After mid-2023, the government decreased its regulatory intervention in e-commerce and issued policies more supportive of the e-commerce sector.<ref name=":Liu">{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Lizhi |title=From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-Commerce in China |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2024 |isbn=9780691254104}}</ref>{{Rp|page=17}}

The 2021 [[Data Security Law of the People's Republic of China|Data Security Law]] classifies data into different categories and establishes corresponding levels of protection.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=131}} It imposes significant data localization requirements, in a response to the extraterritorial reach of the United States [[CLOUD Act]] or similar foreign laws.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|pages=250–251}}

The 2021 [[Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China|Personal Information Protection Law]] is China's first comprehensive law on personal data rights and is modeled after the European Union's [[General Data Protection Regulation]].<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=131}}

In summer 2021, MIIT began a six-month long regulatory campaign to address a variety of consumer protection and unfair competition issues, including [[interoperability]] concerns, in the consumer internet sector.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=114}} It held meetings with executives from major Chinese tech companies and instructed them that their companies could no longer block external links to competitors.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=114}}

In 2022, the CAC issued measures and guidelines on security assessments for cross-border data transfers as part of an effort to institutionalize data transfer review mechanisms.<ref name=":Zhang" />{{Rp|page=251}}

In July 2024, the CAC and the MPS released draft regulations that propose a voluntary digital ID number for all internet users nationwide instead of the current requirement for a phone number or personal ID number.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Olcott |first1=Eleanor |last2=Ding |first2=Wenjie |date=July 31, 2024 |title=China data watchdog plans tighter control of internet users |url=https://www.ft.com/content/63f2e491-e015-4cae-bb35-f4c447c595f1 |url-access=subscription |access-date=July 31, 2024 |work=[[Financial Times]] |archive-date=7 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807192258/https://www.ft.com/content/63f2e491-e015-4cae-bb35-f4c447c595f1 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Regulations regarding minors ===
As a result of public outcry over parent-child online gaming conflicts, the government issued legislation in the early 2000s.<ref name="Bao">{{Cite book |last=Rao |first=Yichen |title=Games & Play in Chinese & Sinophone Cultures |date=2024 |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |isbn=9780295752402 |editor-last=Guo |editor-first=Li |location=Seattle, WA |pages= |chapter=How China's Young "Internet Addicts" Gamify the Disciplinary Treatment Camp |editor-last2=Eyman |editor-first2=Douglas |editor-last3=Sun |editor-first3=Hongmei}}</ref>{{Rp|page=175}} In 2002, the government passed legislation which forbid [[Internet café|Internet cafes]] from allowing minors.<ref name="Bao" />{{Rp|page=175}} The Law on Protection of Minors was amended in 2006 to state that the family and the state should guide minors' online behavior.<ref name="Bao" />{{Rp|page=175}} These amendments place "indulgence in the Internet" on par with misbehaviors like smoking and vagrancy.<ref name="Bao" />{{Rp|page=175}}

In 2009, the government requested that to aid parents in monitoring what children were doing on the Internet, "Green Dam Youth Escort" software be pre-installed on personal computers sold in most parts of China (excluding [[Special administrative regions of China|Special Administrative Regions]]).<ref name="Bao" />{{Rp|page=|pages=175–176}} This resulted in public criticism on the basis of privacy concerns, and the government abandoned the effort after several months.<ref name="Bao" />{{Rp|page=176}}

The state requires online games to set limits for minors' playing time.<ref name="Bao" />{{Rp|page=175}}