Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Communications Administration

By Richard W. Wigley of King & Wood’s Dispute Resolution Group

Data privacy for internet users is a topic of concern the world over, with the P.R.C. being no exception. Internet information service providers (hereinafter also referred to as "IISPs"), such as commercial websites, regularly collect information from online visitors, sometimes with full knowledge of the visitors and sometimes unknown to the visitors. In addition, IISPs have been known to maliciously introduce software incompatible with the user’s existing software, install certain software such as "spyware" onto users’ computers/mobile devices and/or change users’ browser configurations without permission, and it goes without saying that "pop up ads" are an ongoing online annoyance. As online users in the P.R.C. look for protections from such unwanted invasions of their privacy and restrictions upon user control of their online experience, the recently released "Several Provisions on Regulating the Market Order for Internet Information Services" (hereinafter referred to as the "Provisions") provides needed rules and regulations in this regard.[1]   Continue Reading New M.I.I.T. Provisions Provide Additional Online User Control and Data Privacy Protections