11 April, 2016
On 27 December 2015, the standing committee of the National People’s Congress ("NPC") of China passed the Anti-Terrorism Law of China, the first national law to combat terrorism, which came into force on 1 January 2016. The Anti-Terrorism Law imposes some specific obligations on operators of telecom and internet services.
The year 2015 saw national security and cyber security being brought to the top of the legislation agenda in China. In July 2015 the National Security Law and the draft Cyber Security Law were published, followed by the Anti-Terrorism Law at the end of the year, each of which contain provisions aimed directly at addressing cyber security issues. The newly-imposed obligations under the Anti-Terrorism Law on the telecom operators and internet service providers reflect the government’s determination to tighten its grip on cyber security and are bound to give rise to more legal compliance challenges.
Highlights of the obligations under the Anti-Terrorism Law include: (a) the provision of technical assistance and support to the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of State Security; (b) the prevention of dissemination of terrorist and extremist information; and (c) the verification of customer identity.
For further information, please contact:
Kyle Wombolt, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
kyle.wombolt@hsf.com
