China

Increasing Internet surveillance with new set of rules saw Internet authorities in China clenching an iron fist requiring tech companies to identify the real registered names of users and to record user activities.

Selling customer data such as banking records, vehicle registration and mobile phone usage is big business in China. Recent data theft of 130 million clients of Huazhu Hotels Group saw the stolen payment and contact information going for about US$56,000.

Chinese Internet users have become much more vocal about what they perceive to be potential breach of privacy by China Internet Giants - Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent.

For years, China has used the World Internet Conference to advance its vision for cyber sovereignty. Now it looks like the various ideas and concepts, including the new Cybersecurity Law, undergirding this vision are starting to be put into effect for China’s Internet, with unknown implications.