China to implement assessment measures to regulate data sent overseas by cars

BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Reuters) – China, the world’s largest auto market, announced Monday that it will put in place assessment measures to regulate data sent overseas by vehicles, as the country is stepping up its efforts to protect data and privacy.

As cars become ‘smart’ with more in-car entertainment, information and autonomous driving features, automakers and tech companies are collecting more vehicle data, raising privacy and security concerns. .

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology did not provide details on how the assessment would be carried out. Under current rules, automakers cannot export key vehicle data overseas unless they get approval from regulators.

The ministry said regulators will improve oversight of vehicle data security and encourage telecommunications companies to invest more in cybersecurity technologies.

The move comes as China strives to ensure data security as the proliferation of smart cars, such as Tesla Electric Vehicles (TSLA.O), is fueling national security concerns, in line with its focus on more wide to tighten privacy policies.

Beijing is increasingly concerned about the mountains of data being amassed by private companies and whether this information could be attacked or misused, especially by foreign states. It recently implemented a new data security law and is strengthening oversight in other related areas. Read more

Reporting by Brenda Goh and Yilei Sun; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu

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