Xi’s Next Target in Tech Crackdown Is China’s Vast Reams of Data
- China forecast to hold about a third of world’s data by 2025
- ‘A complete national refocusing on data as an economic driver’
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As President Xi Jinping targets China’s massive tech giants, the big question now is how he’ll get them to share key data as part of a sweeping plan to transform the world’s second-biggest economy.
Until recently, China’s megafirms like Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. have operated in a similar way to U.S. counterparts Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc., harnessing user data to refine an expanding array of digital services. Since more data leads to better products, the tech platforms often become natural monopolies -- giving them enormous wealth and power that also opens the door for abuses.