Relevance to Theme: Global developments in data governance are presumably going to be highly affected by the development of data governance in the People's Republic of China. Its development is examplary of the threats connected to the rapid digitisation of a society, with data processing, storage and usage used to curtail fundamental freedoms. China, as being one of the most influential actors on the international stage, already serves as a trendsetter in this regard. The workshop aims to identify these developments, to give voices to those vulnerable groups affected by this curtailment and to offer avenues for a human-centric data governance.
Relevance to Internet Governance: As a one-party state, the People’s Republic of China’s has become a key international leader in Internet governance and cyberspace debates. As it advances alternative models and approaches for human rights, democracy and rule of law, China is also aggressively pressing its concepts of Internet sovereignty and has developed a comprehensive approach aimed at ensuring Party control over the whole Internet ecosystem in China, with impacts beyond its borders. Supported by its cybersecurity law and regulations, official ideology, advanced surveillance and censorship technology, and investment in big data, AI, and quantum computing development priorities, China’s data governance regime also presents steep technology and human rights policy issues.
While the entire population has become subject to this architecture of digital control, particularly vulnerable groups, such as Tibetans and Uyghurs, have been targets of state repression, in addition to large scale crackdown on lawyers, detention of feminists, and other defenders. These restrictions on the legitimate exercise of rights are enabled by the enormous technology capacity of the authorities to track, collect, and store information about the activities of individuals and groups online and offline.
One important development that has received wide attention in the international media, is the development of a social credit system by the authorities, beginning as early as 2002. While the original concept was linked to a business-oriented goal, i.e. to establish a financial credit scoring system to support market reforms, the evolution of now a comprehensive social credit system seeks to put all members of society under an online credit infrastructure.