China is set to create a new government agency to centralize the management of the country’s vast stores of data, as Beijing seeks to address data-security practices by businesses and streamline its regulatory structure, reports The Wall Street Journal. The new national data bureau is set to become the top Chinese regulator on various data-related issues, people familiar with the matter said, in a shift from the current structure in which multiple ministries share oversight.
The plan to establish the agency is expected to be discussed and approved at the National People’s Congress during its annual session, which will run through March 13, they said.
If established, the agency would rule on whether multinational companies can export data generated by their operations in China, they said. It would also set and enforce data-collection and sharing rules for businesses, they said. For instance, it could bar companies from collecting certain kinds of consumer data, or vet the data that domestic companies plan to share with foreign business partners to check for potential national-security breaches, the people said.