China regulator says should consider digital data tax for tech firms

"Some third-party platform-like enterprises hold a large amount of users data, just like holding precious mineral mines," science and technology supervision bureau chief said

China should consider imposing a digital tax on technology companies that hold copious amounts of user data, a securities watchdog official was quoted as saying by Beijing News, in the latest sign of widening government scrutiny of the sector.

“Some third-party platform-like enterprises hold a large amount of users data, just like holding precious mineral mines,” the government-back newspaper cited Yao Qian, science and technology supervision bureau chief at the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), saying at a forum held in Beijing.

Yao said the value of the platform-like enterprises was created by their users, and users are supposed to share the