Tencent, Huawei, other major Shenzhen firms to bolster user data safeguards ahead of roll-out of new personal information law
- More than 20 major Shenzhen-based companies, all of which operate popular apps, have pledged to boost their user data security
- The commitment was made ahead of the implementation of China’s new Personal Information Protection Law on November 1
These initiatives prohibit the unnecessary collection of personal information, abuse of facial recognition data, invading personal privacy and price discrimination based on big data analyses.
Tencent and Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
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Why China is tightening control over cybersecurity
Much like the GDPR, which came into effect in 2018 and imposed red lines on how companies handle personal data within Europe, China’s PIPL is also set to have a far-reaching impact on how businesses gather and use data in the country after it takes effect next month.
A key stipulation of the Chinese law, like GDPR, will be to empower individuals to decide whether to hand over their personal information to data processors. Both laws stipulate that personal information has to be collected and processed according to a transparent and rigid protocol.