Big data center opened as experts call for better privacy laws

The Shanghai Big Data Application Center has been established in an effort to spearhead the city’s pioneering "smart city" plan, it was revealed at the Jing’an International Big Data Forum held on Tuesday.

The new center is located in the Shibei High Technology Park in Jing’an District, which is home to the Shanghai Data Exchange, China's leading big data center that handles an average 30 million pieces of data every day.

The establishment of the new center is part of the district's efforts to explore how to further use big data in urban management so as to achieve "precise management," such as how traffic flow is directed and how senior citizens are ensured safety at home.

Local political advisor Jin Xingming said the new technologies are changing the world and people's lives, and that we should jump on the trend to make a better city and a better nation.

At the forum, Shibei released its three-year development plan, aiming to become a "big data industry cluster" in the Yangtze River Delta, as well as a world-class "data harbor." Within three years, Shibei will introduce industrial leaders, foster artificial intelligence "unicorns," and build cross-provincial and cross-border cooperation.

But the big data realm still worries some people who fear that their personal information may be leaked or abused. During the forum, Gao Fuping, an expert in big data law, called for the creation of laws to protect privacy in the digital age.