The protection of EU consumer data transferred to China

Short description

The research project “The protection of EU consumer data transferred to China” is supported by the scholarship program of China Scholarship Council and Ghent University BOF co-funding and runs from 2019 to 2023. This project will explore the ‘EU standard’ of  data transfers and scrutinize the Chinese data protection legislative framework and practice.

Flows of personal data of citizens across borders are increasingly important in international trade, not in the least between the European Union and China. The respective legislative frameworks that govern the protection of personal data, however, significantly differ. This gives rise to urgent questions related to jurisdiction (competence and applicability of law), safeguarding of data protection standards, enforcement and cooperation.

The project focuses on a critical analysis of data protection legislations in the European Union and China, on the basis of consumers’ data flows from the EU to China. To achieve this objective, a comparative analysis will be conducted between the EU and China, case studies as well as interviews with practitioners will be carried out.