The amended Cybersecurity Law of China (CSL) entered into force on Jan. 1, 2026. These amendments, officially approved by China’s top legislature in October 2025, mark the first major changes to the law since it took effect in 2017. Without altering obligations of cybernetwork operators under CSL, the amendments specify the penalties applicable to breaches of different obligations, expand the government’s power to enforce against extra-territorial activities jeopardizing China’s cybersecurity, and set forth certain policy and regulatory goals for the new governance regime on developing and applying AI.
China’s Amended Cybersecurity Law Takes Effect
