Securing China in cyberspace

The Cyberspace Administration of China and 12 other departments have made amendments to the regulation on cybersecurity review that comes into effect on Feb 15, clarifying that any platform that controls the personal information of more than 1 million users must approach the cybersecurity office for review if they wish to be listed overseas.

In the internet era, people often have to submit personal information online or give certain apps access to their smartphones to be able to use the latter's services. As a result, an internet platform with many users collects a lot of personal information.

With the help of big data, the platforms can draw an accurate picture of the users' occupations, behavioral and consumption habits, routes taken daily and more. For the user, that constitutes a violation of their privacy; for the nation it can be a security hazard. Even more so, if a company that controls the personal information of a large number of users gets listed on an overseas stock market, because then foreign agencies might be able to access the personal details of Chinese consumers.

That's why the amendment to the regulation is very important. In order to make it more effective, the regulation has added the China Securities Regulatory Commission to the list of reviewing organizations. With professionals doing the job, the risks of Chinese users' information getting leaked to foreign agencies will be minimized.

The amendment is also a reminder to all enterprises that they must refrain from any business activity that could threaten national security. Being an essential part of the national information infrastructure, cyberspace must be put under the rule of law. It is good for enterprises to seek funding overseas, but the bottom line of national security should never be compromised.

The amendment to the regulation is only a start. In the future, more rules are likely to be framed so as to create a more comprehensive system for defending China's national security in cyberspace.