Concerns have been raised about how the new regulations, which tighten limitations imposed by the Chinese government on the nation’s internet providers, would be implemented. The regulations have become operational from today.
Businesses, like social media behemoths Tencent, ByteDance, and Weibo, are required by the upgrade of State Secrets Law to take action in the event that users post sensitive content.
“Network operators” are needed to keep an eye on the data that users are sharing. The guidelines also specify how records should be kept, posts should be taken down, and reports to authorities should be made.
As President Xi Jinping focuses on national security, the government is pushing down on China’s enormous technology economy leading to the law’s first modification in over a decade.
A representative of the National Administration of State Secrets Protection told the official news outlet Xinhua that the new regulations were required because “the guarding of state secrets faces new problems and challenges in the new era.” The announcement of the new regulations dates back to February.
Although internet businesses operating in China are already bound by stringent regulations, Ryan Mitchell, a law professor based in Hong Kong, stated that the recent measures “set a new standard for active self-monitoring and rapid cooperation”.
Additionally, “work secrets” or information regarding state agency decision-making are now included in the definition of what may be considered sensitive material under the updated guidelines. This could pose a special challenge for foreign correspondents and other journalists covering the country.
