Draft rules help China take step to online privacy though fuzzy provisions remain

China’s internet watchdog last week took the first step toward developing online privacy protection norms when it released a new set of draft privacy guidelines for app operators.

The draft guidelines by the National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee (TC260)—which is jointly administered by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Standardization Administration of China—outlined seven situations that constitute the illegal collection and use of personal data. These included the collection and use of users’ personal information or the provision of personal information to third parties without the consent of the user.

The draft rules, which currently are not legally binding, have been released for public comment. Once finalized, they will be used by China’s cyberspace watchdogs, including the CAC, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Ministry of Public Security, to enact privacy laws.

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