China must implement cyberspace laws to better protect information from the encroachment of information technology companies from the United States, says an article on the website guancha.cn.

Excerpts:

Reuters reported that Apple Inc stores Chinese users’ personal data in servers administered by China Telecom, a Beijing-headquartered state-owned telecommunication company.

Apple Inc has put servers in China in response to China’s concerns over information security.

But the key is whether data collection, cross-border information flow and usage are under scrutiny. The government should be responsible for these issues. China needs to establish a sound legal and regulatory framework to better ensure information and network security.

The US extends its “information sovereignty” to other countries through international companies such as Apple Inc, Microsoft Inc and Google Inc, as well as through their servers around the world.

The question of who should be in charge of managing the data in Apple’s servers in China is the crux of the information security issue. The answer is defined by the boundaries in cyberspace between the company, the state and the individual citizen.

The US has already taken advantage of its advanced technology and absolute control of network infrastructure in making many unfair rules for countries in the information era. This will test the courage and wisdom of China in its pursuit of a status as a strong power over the network. Apple Inc’s latest action will force China to improve laws to protect its citizens’ and the state’s information security.

On the one hand, there is no network privacy protection law in China and US laws will not serve the interests of Chinese nationals. On the other, there are still no effective international laws supervising big companies’ activities in data mining, transferring and cross-border use.

As mobile Internet has gradually become a main battlefield of global information security, Apple Inc has presented a pressing challenge. After pointing out potential dangers in information security of its products and services, the company kicked the ball back to us. This is by no means a matter only between a company and its clients, but a game, if nor a war, among states.

US government interest is perceivably involved. China cannot simply win the game by defending itself through rules only applicable in China. China must establish its legal system according to international rules to implement the rule of law in cyberspace as soon as possible, which is a test of China’s capacity to become a strong power on the network.