Editing Internet in China (section)

=== 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>