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Restrictions on geographic data in China

Restrictions on using GPS in China

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Chinese lawmakers said that these restrictions are to "safeguard the security of China's geographic information". Song Chaozhi, an official of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, said "foreign organizations who wish to carry out mapping or surveying work within China must make clear that they will not touch upon state secrets or endanger state security". Critics outside of China point out that the laws close critical sectors of the Chinese economy to foreign companies, and assist with cracking down on dissent.

Legislation

Surveying

According to articles 7, 26, 40 and 42 of the Surveying and Mapping Law of the People's Republic of China, private surveying and mapping activities have been illegal in mainland China since 2002. The law prohibits:

publishing, without authorization, significant geographic information and data concerning the territorial air, land and waters, as well as other sea areas under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China.

— The National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation of China, Surveying and Mapping Law of the People's Republic of China

Article 1 says:

This Law is enacted to strengthen the administration of the surveying and mapping undertaking, promote its development and ensure that it renders service to development of the national economy, the building up of national defence, and progress of the society.

Fines range from 10,000 to 500,000 CNY (US$1550–77519). Foreign individuals or organizations that wish to conduct surveying must form a Chinese-foreign joint venture.

Between 2006 and 2011, the authorities pursued around 40 illegal cases of mapping and surveying. The media has reported on other cases of unlawful surveys:

  • March 7, 2007 — Japanese and Korean scholars fined; joint-venture Weihai hired foreign surveyors without approval from the government
  • March 25, 2008 — China's State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping cracks down on some of the 10,000 websites that publish maps in China, most without authorization.
  • January 6, 2009 — Chinese authorities fine UK students for "illegal map-making activities".
  • 2010 — Chinese authorities to crack down on the unregistered or illegal among 42,000 online map providers, targeting incorrect information and leaks of sensitive information involving state secrets. New standards require all Internet map providers to keep servers storing map data inside China.
  • March 14, 2014 — Coca-Cola is accused of illegal mapping.

As a consequence, major digital camera manufacturers including Panasonic, Leica, FujiFilm, Nikon and Samsung restrict location information within China.

OpenStreetMap, the crowdsourced project to assemble a map of the world, advises that "private surveying and mapping activities are illegal in China".

Map content

Chinese law and regulations also rule on the contents of any published map:

  • The "Certain Provisions on the Display of Public Map Content" (Chinese: 公开地图内容表示若干规定) of 2003 by the Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (BSM) prohibits the representation of sensitive information such as airports (except those specially listed), military bases, and waterway depths. It also describes the handling and naming of disputed territories and former Qing territories ceded to Russia.
  • The "Supplementary rules on the content presentation of public maps, trial version" (Chinese: 公开地图内容表示补充规定（试行）) of 2009 from the BSM additionally prohibits, among other things:
    • Locations having a precision of finer than 50 metres (55 yd) and the use of grids finer than 100 metres (110 yd) for elevation data.
    • Showing the locations of key infrastructure (power, dams, weather stations) and public safety installations (prisons, mandatory drug rehab facilities).
    • Showing the internal structures of airports and ferry ports.
    • Showing the weight and height limits of bridges, roads, and tunnels; showing the material of roads.
  • The "Map management regulation" (Chinese: 地图管理条例) of 2015 from the State Council mandates that all Internet maps must be stored in mainland China, among other rules about national security. The law also details punishments, some of which criminal, for violations.

In 2016, a large-scale search by Chinese law enforcement found 253 types of problematic paper maps and 1000 problematic online map websites, most pertaining to the depiction of Taiwan and 9-dash line.

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