The legal corpus.
35 entries — China's data-protection laws, regulations, departmental rules, and standards.
Reference Handbooks .
权威实务手册 · institutional handbooks and joint guides
- § 01 · CN-SG Joint Guide
China–Singapore Joint Data Compliance Guide: Practical Handbook — China Chapter
中国—新加坡联合数据合规指引:实务手册(中国篇)
A 110-page bilingual practitioner handbook on Chinese data compliance, jointly compiled by the Shenzhen Data Exchange and Singapore's Asian Business Law Institute under the guidance of the Qianhai Authority. The China Chapter is structured around the Guide's two-axis compliance model: subject obligations (organizational structure, policy, classification & grading, partners, risk assessment, incident response) crossed with object types (general / important / personal / public / industry-specific data). Includes the regulator map, cross-border path selection trees, and worked examples. Current as of August 2025. This is the single most accessible authoritative reference DCC has identified for overseas counsel approaching the Chinese data regime.
Laws .
法律 · National People's Congress
- § 01 · PIPL
Personal Information Protection Law of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国个人信息保护法
PIPL is China's comprehensive personal-information protection regime. It is structured around the concept of the personal information handler — a Chinese-law term that should not be flattened to GDPR's data controller. PIPL governs consent, sensitive personal information, cross-border transfer, and the rights of individuals, with extraterritorial reach to handlers outside China that target domestic natural persons.
- § 02 · DSL
Data Security Law of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国数据安全法
The Data Security Law is the second of China's three foundational data statutes (alongside CSL and PIPL). It governs all data processing activities — not just personal information — and establishes the data classification and grading regime, the 'important data' and 'national core data' categories, security obligations for data handlers, the cross-border transfer restrictions on important data, and the prohibition on providing data to foreign judicial or enforcement bodies without approval.
- § 03 · CSL · AMENDED
Cybersecurity Law of the People's Republic of China (2025 Amendment)
中华人民共和国网络安全法(2025 修正)
The Cybersecurity Law is the earliest of the three foundational data-protection statutes. It establishes the Multi-Level Protection Scheme (MLPS), the Critical Information Infrastructure regime, network-operator obligations, and the cybersecurity review framework. The current text incorporates the 2025 amendment, which takes effect January 1, 2026.
- § 04 · Civil Code (PI Chapter)
Civil Code — Personality Rights Book, Chapter on Privacy and Protection of Personal Information
中华人民共和国民法典 · 人格权编 · 隐私权和个人信息保护章
Articles 1032–1039 of the Civil Code's Personality Rights Book establish the civil-law foundation for privacy and personal-information protection in China. The chapter defines the right of privacy, the scope of personal information, principles for handling, statutory defenses, individuals' rights of access and correction, processor obligations, and confidentiality duties of State organs. Civil-law remedies under this chapter operate alongside the public-law PIPL regime — neither displaces the other.
- § 05 · ATFL
Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国反电信网络诈骗法
Administrative Regulations .
行政法规 · State Council
- § 01 · CII Regulations
Security Protection Regulations for Critical Information Infrastructure
关键信息基础设施安全保护条例
These Regulations operationalize the Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) regime under CSL Articles 31–39. They define CII identification rules, set out CIIO obligations (specialized security body, annual testing and risk assessment, security review of network products, breach reporting), and establish the inter-agency coordination structure under CAC + Ministry of Public Security.
- § 02 · Data Twenty Opinions
Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Building a Basic Data System to Better Play the Role of Data Elements
中共中央 国务院关于构建数据基础制度更好发挥数据要素作用的意见
The foundational 20-article policy directive jointly issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council laying out China's national data basic system: data property rights structural subdivision (holding right / processing right / operation right), classified-and-graded right confirmation for public/enterprise/personal data, the on-floor + over-the-counter trading framework, the income distribution mechanism for data elements, and a multi-party governance model. This is the policy text that informs subsequent national-level legislation and rules on data assets, public data, and data property rights registration.
- § 03
Regulation on Network Data Security Management
网络数据安全管理条例
The Network Data Security Management Regulation is the State Council's overarching implementing regulation for the three foundational data-protection statutes (CSL, DSL, PIPL). It consolidates network-data security obligations, important-data identification and classification, cross-border transfer rules, security-incident reporting, and operator obligations for large data handlers and internet platforms. Promulgated as State Council Decree No. 790.
- § 04
Regulations on the Protection of Minors in Cyberspace
未成年人网络保护条例
Implementing regulation for the protection of minors under PIPL and CSL. Covers age-appropriate content, online education, addiction-prevention regimes for video games and short videos, sensitive personal information of minors (under 14), parental consent mechanisms, and platform obligations for products targeting or accessible to minors.
- § 05
Regulations on the Sharing of Government Data
政务数据共享条例
The first comprehensive State Council regulation specifically governing the sharing of government data across agencies. Establishes the unified national government-data sharing platform, defines responsibilities of the National Data Administration, sets data quality and security requirements, and addresses personal-information and important-data handling within the government-data context.
- § 06
Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services (2024 Revision)
互联网信息服务管理办法(2024 修订)
The foundational regulation of Internet Information Services (ICP) in China — the regulatory baseline beneath nearly every later data-protection rule. Establishes the ICP licensing regime (operational vs. non-operational), platform compliance obligations, content management, and the role of telecommunications and cyberspace administrative authorities. The 2024 revision aligns the regulation with CSL, DSL, PIPL, and the post-2022 platform rules.
- § 07 · PVISR
Administrative Regulation for Public Security Video Image Information Systems
公共安全视频图像信息系统管理条例
The State Council's overarching regulation for public security video image information systems (公共安全视频系统) in public places. Distinguishes three operator types: government-led, public-private partnership, and private-led, and applies graduated obligations depending on the operator type. Implements PIPL Article 26 for video-image capture in public places, including filing obligations, mandatory signage, retention, and security duties. Read with the 2025 FRT Measures (Decree No. 19) for facial-recognition deployments.
Departmental Rules .
部门规章 · CAC, MIIT, MPS and others
- § 01
Measures for the Security Assessment of Data Export
数据出境安全评估办法
The first of CAC's three cross-border transfer pathways. Required for CIIOs transferring any personal information or important data abroad, and for non-CIIO handlers above certain thresholds. Establishes the application procedure, evaluation factors, validity period, and self-assessment requirements. Read together with the 2024 Cross-border Data Flow Provisions, which relaxed thresholds.
- § 02
Provisions on Promoting and Regulating Cross-border Data Flows
促进和规范数据跨境流动规定
The 2024 Cross-border Data Flow Provisions are CAC's relaxation package on outbound data transfer. They introduce thresholds and exemptions for the security assessment, standard contract, and certification pathways, plus a free trade zone (FTZ) negative-list mechanism. For overseas counsel, this is the regulation that practically determines whether a routine cross-border transfer needs to clear formal CAC review or not.
- § 03 · SCC Measures
Measures on the Standard Contract for the Outbound Transfer of Personal Information
个人信息出境标准合同办法
The second of CAC's three cross-border transfer pathways: signing a CAC-prescribed Standard Contract with the overseas recipient and filing it with the provincial CAC. Used by handlers below the Security Assessment thresholds. The Measures establish eligibility criteria, the filing procedure, ongoing obligations after filing, and the CAC's right to invalidate the contract on the recipient side. The Standard Contract template itself is annexed.
- § 04
Guide to the Filing of the Standard Contract for Outbound Transfer of Personal Information (First Edition)
个人信息出境标准合同备案指南(第一版)
CAC's procedural guide accompanying the SCC Measures. Specifies the filing materials required, where to file (provincial CAC), online filing system mechanics, materials acceptance and review timeline, and standardized templates for the power of attorney, the letter of commitment, the Standard Contract itself, and the Personal Information Protection Impact Assessment Report. Read together with the SCC Measures for the operational filing path.
- § 05 · Data Terms Batch 1
Explanation of Common Terms in the Field of Data (First Batch)
数据领域常用名词解释(第一批)
The first installment of official terminology explanations issued by the National Data Administration. Establishes authoritative Chinese government definitions for 40 foundational data-field concepts including data, primary data, data resources, data elements, data products and services, data assets, data handling, data handler, commissioned data handler, data circulation, data transaction, data governance, data security, public data, digital industrialization, industrial digitalization, metadata, structured/semi-structured/unstructured data, privacy-protective computation (secure multi-party computing, federated learning, trusted execution environment, cryptographic computing), and blockchain.
- § 06 · Data Terms Batch 2
Explanation of Common Terms in the Field of Data (Second Batch)
数据领域常用名词解释(第二批)
The second installment of official terminology explanations issued by the National Data Administration, continuing the consensus-building effort that began with the First Batch in December 2024. The 20 terms in this batch focus on data property rights vocabulary (Data Property Rights, Data Property Rights Registration, Right to Hold Data, Right to Use Data, Right to Operate Data, derived data, enterprise data); data trading institutions and market structure (data trading institution, on-exchange data trading, off-exchange data trading, data trading matching, data third-party professional service institution); the data industry and data labeling sub-industry; trusted data space and data use control; data infrastructure; and computing-power scheduling and pooling. DCC translation, cross-checked against the glossary for consistency with the public-data property-rights registration documents.
- § 07
Measures for the Certification of the Cross-border Provision of Personal Information
个人信息出境认证办法
The third of CAC's three cross-border transfer pathways — PI Protection Certification — finally given its own dedicated rules effective January 1, 2026. Joint issuance with SAMR (which administers the certification body accreditation regime). Establishes who can be certified, eligibility thresholds, what certification covers, and the relationship to the Security Assessment and Standard Contract pathways.
- § 08
Cybersecurity Review Measures
网络安全审查办法
The 2021 update to the cybersecurity review regime, expanded after the Didi enforcement action. Applies to (i) CIIO procurement of network products/services that may affect national security, and (ii) network platforms holding personal information of more than one million users when seeking an overseas listing. Sets the procedure, factors considered, and outcomes (no-action, conditional approval, prohibition).
- § 09
Administrative Measures for Personal Information Protection Compliance Audits
个人信息保护合规审计管理办法
These Measures implement the compliance-audit obligation in PIPL Article 54. Self-audit is required at least every two years for handlers of more than 10 million people's personal information; CAC-directed audits by a third-party specialized agency are triggered by significant risk, large-scale infringement, or major security incidents. The Measures are accompanied by a 27-section Guidelines annex that lays out exactly what auditors should examine — effectively a regulator-issued checklist for personal-information compliance.
- § 10
Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services
生成式人工智能服务管理暂行办法
China's flagship generative-AI regulation — the first comprehensive national regulation of GenAI services anywhere in the world. Covers content compliance, training data quality, personal-information handling, security assessment and algorithm filing, real-name verification, and labeling. Applies to GenAI services provided to the Chinese public; some obligations are conditioned on consumer-facing deployment.
- § 11
Provisions on the Administration of Algorithmic Recommendation Services for Internet Information Services
互联网信息服务算法推荐管理规定
The first comprehensive Chinese regulation of recommendation algorithms. Establishes the algorithm filing regime, requires opt-out mechanisms, regulates personalized pricing and targeted advertising, sets special protections for minors and the elderly, and bans practices like price discrimination based on user characteristics. Applies to all algorithmic recommendation services available to the Chinese public.
- § 12
Provisions on the Administration of Deep Synthesis of Internet Information Services
互联网信息服务深度合成管理规定
Regulates deepfakes and AI-driven content synthesis — the precursor to the GenAI Measures and the AI Content Labeling Measures. Requires real-name verification, content moderation, prominent labeling of synthesized content, prohibits use for fraud or disinformation, and establishes the deep synthesis service algorithm filing regime.
- § 13
Measures for the Labeling of AI-Generated and Composed Content
人工智能生成合成内容标识办法
The newest of China's AI rules — mandatory labeling for AI-generated and AI-composed content, including text, images, audio, video, and virtual scenes. Distinguishes between 'visible/audible labels' (for end users) and 'implicit labels' (metadata/watermarks for platforms). Applies to all platforms providing GenAI or deep synthesis services in China, with corresponding obligations on app stores and content distribution platforms.
- § 14
Interim Measures for the Management of AI Anthropomorphic Interaction Services
人工智能拟人化互动服务管理暂行办法
China's first regulation specifically targeting AI 'anthropomorphic interaction' — services where users converse with AI personas (virtual companions, chatbot relationships, character AI). Establishes registration requirements, age-verification and minor-protection obligations, mandatory disclaimers that users are interacting with AI, content moderation duties, and prohibitions on exploiting emotional vulnerabilities. Effective July 15, 2026. The first such regime globally.
- § 15 · FISR Measures
Measures for the Security Review of Foreign Investments
外商投资安全审查办法
The Foreign Investment Security Review (FISR) Measures govern review of foreign investment in China that affects or may affect national security. Article 2 covers new projects, M&A of equity or assets, and other forms of domestic investment by foreign investors. Article 4 brings important information technology, internet products and services, and key technologies into the mandatory pre-notification scope. The test for the security review's bite is actual control — defined broadly to include >50% equity, voting-share thresholds, and other circumstances that materially influence operational decisions, personnel, finance, or technology. These Measures were the legal basis for the April 2026 ban on the Meta–Manus acquisition.
- § 16 · FRT Measures
Administrative Measures for the Application Security of Facial Recognition Technology
人脸识别技术应用安全管理办法
The dedicated CAC + MPS rule for facial-recognition technology applications, implementing PIPL Articles 26 and 28–32 and the Civil Code privacy chapter. Covers the three governing principles of minimum-use, voluntary choice, and minimum-storage; the filing regime for processors handling face data of more than 100,000 persons; mandatory PIPIA, signage, prohibition on FRT in private spaces (changing rooms, bathrooms, hotel rooms); preference for authoritative ID-verification channels over independent FRT collection; and the inter-agency coordination structure under CAC + MPS.
- § 17
Interim Measures for the Registration and Administration of Public Data Resources
公共数据资源登记管理暂行办法
The Interim Measures establish a nationally unified registration system for public data resources — data collections produced by Party and government organs and public institutions in the course of performing statutory duties or providing public services. Registration is mandatory for public data resources that fall within authorized-operation scope; voluntary registration is encouraged for other public data resources and for data products and services derived from them. The Measures set the registration procedure (application, acceptance, formal review, public announcement, code issuance), define four registration types (initial, change, correction, deregistration), establish a three-year validity period with renewal, and provide for graded supervision under NDA's overall administration. Effective March 1, 2025, with a five-year validity period. DCC translation; no official English version exists.
- § 18
Implementation Specifications for Authorized Operation of Public Data Resources (Trial)
公共数据资源授权运营实施规范(试行)
Companion rule to the Public Data Registration Interim Measures (also NDRC + NDA, January 2025). The Specifications establish the framework for 'authorized operation' (授权运营) of public data resources — the mechanism by which governments at and above the county level, and national sectoral authorities, can authorize qualified operating institutions to develop and operationalize public data resources, deliver data products and services to the market, and share in the revenue. Covers implementing institutions, operating institutions, the implementation plan, the agreement, supervision, anti-monopoly and security duties. The Operating-institution authorization period is capped at five years. Effective March 1, 2025, with a five-year validity period. DCC translation; no official English version exists.
National Standards .
国家标准 · GB/T, TC260
- § 01 · GB/T 44297—2024
GB/T 44297—2024 Data Items of Video and Image Information for Public Security
GB/T 44297—2024 公共安全视频图像信息数据项
GB/T 44297—2024 is the national recommended standard that specifies the data items used in public-security video image information systems — the underlying field-level schema that camera systems, video platforms, and analysis tools use to describe and exchange video and image data. It applies to data exchange in networked public-security video applications. The standard catalogs more than twenty top-level data-item groups — covering camera information, system/platform information, equipment status, video clips, images, file objects, persons of interest, vehicles of interest, non-motor vehicles, items, scenes, events, regions, motion targets, subscriptions, feature vectors, organized data libraries, and real-time matching against reference lists — plus a set of normative code tables (Appendix D) used to encode the field values. The standard is technical reference material for system integrators and data engineers operating public-security video systems. Cross-reference to the *Administrative Regulation for Public Security Video Image Information Systems* (State Council Decree No. 799) and the *Facial Recognition Technology Application Measures* (CAC + MPS Decree No. 19), which set the legal duties; this standard tells operators what field-level data to capture and exchange in order to meet those duties.
- § 02 · TC260 Sensitive PI Guide
Cybersecurity Standards Practice Guide — Sensitive Personal Information Identification Guide (v1.0, September 2024)
网络安全标准实践指南 — 敏感个人信息识别指南 (v1.0-202409)
TC260's September 2024 practice guide for identifying sensitive personal information under PIPL Article 28. Sets out a four-rule identification framework — damage to personal dignity, to personal safety, to property safety, and aggregation effects — and lists eight common categories of sensitive personal information with illustrative examples in Appendix A. The guide is not a mandatory standard; it is advisory practice guidance issued by the TC260 Secretariat to help organizations operationalize PIPL's sensitive-PI regime. Practical reference for handlers performing the PIPIA required by PIPL Article 55(I) before processing sensitive personal information.
Judicial Interpretations .
司法解释 · Supreme People's Court
- § 01 · FRT Judicial Interpretation
Provisions of the Supreme People's Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Civil Cases Involving the Use of Facial Recognition Technology to Process Personal Information
最高人民法院关于审理使用人脸识别技术处理个人信息相关民事案件适用法律若干问题的规定
The Supreme People's Court's interpretation of how civil courts should apply law in cases involving facial recognition. Defines what counts as 'processing facial information', enumerates conduct that infringes personality rights, addresses consent validity (mandatory consent through a service agreement is not valid), and sets out remedies and burden-of-proof allocation. Issued before PIPL took effect but designed to interoperate with PIPL's sensitive-personal-information regime.
Drafts in Consultation .
征求意见稿
- § 01 · DRAFT
Data Property Rights Registration Work Guide (Trial) — Draft for Public Consultation
数据产权登记工作指引(试行)(公开征求意见稿)
NDA's first comprehensive draft framework for the registration of Data Property Rights — the rights to hold, use, and operate data established under the Data 20 Articles policy. The Guide sets out registration institutions, registration procedure (application, acceptance, review, public announcement, evidence preservation, certificate issuance), the eight ownership-clarity rules that determine who can register which right over which data, the five registration types (initial, transfer, change, renewal, deregistration), and liability for institutions and applicants. Includes six annexed form templates and a 15-digit certificate coding scheme. Released by NDA Comprehensive Department for public consultation. DCC translation; this is a draft and is not yet in force.