The law, passed in November 2016 by the countrys parliament, bans online service providers from collecting and selling users personal information, the official Xinhua news agency said. Furthermore, it gives consumers the right to have their information deleted, in cases of abuse. Until now, Chinas data industry has had no overarching data protection framework, being governed instead by loosely defined laws, according to Reuters.
Still, overseas business groups were pushing Chinese regulators to delay implementation of the law, saying the rules would severely hurt activities, the online publication continued.
However, overseas critics say the new law threatens to shut foreign technology companies out of sectors the country deems “critical”, and includes contentious requirements for security reviews and data stored on servers in China.
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