China Promulgates New Personal Information Protection Law

China's Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL or the final version),¹ following the first two readings in October 2020² and April 2021, was adopted on August 20, 2021 and will become effective on November 1, 2021. The final version comprises 74 articles across eight chapters that cover General Provisions, Rules for Processing Personal Information (PI), Rules for PI Cross-border Provision, Rights of Individuals in PI Processing Activities, Obligations of PI Processors, Authorities Performing PI Protection Duties, Legal Liability, and Supplementary Provisions. PI under PIPL is defined as information of various kinds recorded by electronic or other means related to identified or identifiable natural persons, but excluding information which has been anonymized (Article 4). Privacy rights under the PIPL draw upon the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) but lack the protections against the state, including in the name of national security, inherent in its EU