Locals in the the Greater Bay Area are concerned as their neighborhood has become the latest target of China’s southern Guangdong province after officials said the Bay Area will be the next planned area where a common data platform will be built.
The construction will join other areas including Hong Kong and Macau to have a data trading market in Shenzhen. Chinese authorities decided on the region in an effort to regulate data more thoroughly.
Bay Area residents who have heard the news have expressed concern and confusion over the purpose of the data platform and its necessity in their community.
Common Data Platform
Guangdong officials will look into the establishment of a data “customs hub” that would review and monitor data that travel across borders. On Sunday, the provincial government announced the decision on notice on its website.
The website’s statement also said that the government plans to promote the circulation and sharing of data between the areas equipped with the platform, such as Hong Kong and Macau. Officials said the use of data will be beneficial to industrial development, social governance and be an improvement to services for the people.
The oversight of data transactions will also be strengthened along with the speeding up of the introduction of legislation for the digital economy, the statement of the website said. However, it was not immediately clear what types of data would be the subject of trade within Shenzhen.
Chinese authorities have doubled down on data regulation, more specifically on cybersecurity-related to Chinese companies that are listed under the United States’ authority. New measures and initiatives have been announced by Chinese authorities this month.
Days after China’s ride-hailing giant Didi Global Inc. was listed in New York, China’s Cybersecurity Administration suddenly announced a probe into the company. The listing of the app was accompanied by a subsequent order to remove it from app stores, Reuters reported.
