Shenzhen to outlaw digital profiling of kids to stave off Big Tech’s privacy intrusions

A draft of new rules in China’s southern tech hub would classify personal data collected from minors as ‘sensitive’, limiting how it can be used. The country’s national minors protection law, with a new chapter dedicated to online protections, takes effect on June 1, Children’s Day in China. — SCMP

Shenzhen is reviewing a new regulation that would explicitly forbid apps from making personalised recommendations to users under the age of 18, a first for China as Beijing continues to push Big Tech to toe the state line.

The draft of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone Data Regulation, first released for public consultation last summer, was updated last week, classifying data generated by minors as “sensitive” and barring companies from creating and employing user profiles based on data generated by minors.