Data Privacy Detective Podcast – Episode 73: Data Localization, China And Personal Privacy

The internet and the worldwide web – the words envision a global communications system that transcends national borders. But the reality differs. Is it increasingly the splinternet? Is www really a series of webs that don't connect globally? And how is our privacy affected by data fences and controls erected by nations?

In this first of a series, we explore how China deals with personal information of its residents. China collects a vast array of personal information about its people – financial, judicial, commercial, societal, and governmental. These are the five pillars of China's Social Credit System, which aims to reward loyal and trustworthy citizens and penalize others, based on information collected about Chinese residents. Individuals are white-listed or black-listed to be rewarded or penalized, based on personal data collected, analyzed, and applied by the Government to encourage a socially proper citizenry.