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- author, joao da silva
- role, business reporter
New rules came into effect today that tighten regulations on Chinese internet companies.
The expanded state secrets law will require social media giants Tencent, ByteDance and Weibo to take action if users post sensitive information.
A “network operator” is required to monitor the information shared by users. The rules also describe how to remove posts, keep records, and report them to authorities.
This is the first legal change in more than a decade and is in line with President Xi Jinping’s focus on national security as the government cracks down on China’s huge technology industry.
When the new rules were first announced in February, officials from the State Secrets Protection Agency told the state-run Xinhua News Agency that they were necessary because “the protection of state secrets faces new problems and challenges in a new era.” Ta.
China’s internet companies are already subject to strict rules, but the changes “set new standards for active self-monitoring and rapid cooperation,” said Ryan, a Hong Kong-based law professor. Mitchell said.
The revised regulations also expanded the definition of what is considered confidential information to include “trade secrets,” or information about the decision-making of state institutions that can be particularly problematic for journalists, including foreign correspondents.
Taiwan has expressed concern about the new rules, saying visitors to China from Taiwan could be at risk.
Taipei’s Mainland Affairs Commission said the law was “very vague and people could break the law at any time.”
International law firm Baker McKenzie Fengkun said the definition of what constitutes a state secret is “broad and vague” but should not have a significant impact on multinational companies operating in China.
The new regulations come as social media giant TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance face increased scrutiny in the United States and other Western countries.
But the new rules “do not appear to be primarily aimed at regulating Chinese companies’ overseas operations,” Mitchell said.
