In October, we reported on a first draft decree to implement the
Cyber-security Law and noted many concerns about its overtly
stringent terms and, in particular, the threat it caused to
development of a thriving e-commerce/ Industry 4.0 landscape. Since
then, the business community, among others, have been vocal on the
shortcomings of the draft and offered up many comments and
suggestions to address concerns. With the release of a new draft
early Novembers, it appears that the Ministry of Public Security
(MPS), the decree's authors, have listened.
The first clue is in the length of the new draft: cut
dramatically in size from 66 clauses to just 30, it necessarily
doesn't cover as much ground as the first draft. But the devil
is always in the detail and, although the new draft is considerably
less complex, particularly when it comes to issues affecting
e-commerce, a close look reveals there are still areas worthy of
further advocacy.
