China to bring stricter law to prevent data leaks

BEIJING - A new law seeking to empower Chinese authority to prevent leaks of secret government data through internet has reached its final stage.

The proposed amendment to the Law on Guarding State Secrets was submitted for its third and final reading at the four-day session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, or the top legislature, which began Monday.

In China, any law or amendment usually go through three readings before being adopted by the government.

According to the NPC, the amendments aim to boost citizens’ awareness of the importance of safeguarding state secrets. The draft makes clear that state secrets should be protected by law and “any act threatening the security of a state secret must be punished by law”.

Internet operators and other public information network service providers should cooperate with the security department in probes of such leaks, the amendment says.

As per the new rule once a leak has been discovered, records should be kept and discoverers should report it to public and state security departments in charge of confidentiality, Xinhua reported.

“The information relating to state secrets should be removed according to orders of relative departments,” the amendment says.