China plans to create a central agency to manage the flow of data: Report

China plans to create a central agency to manage the flow of data within the country and abroad, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Beijing intends to set up a new national data bureau that will become the top overseer of data-related issues, the Journal reported. The move centralises power under one agency rather than the bodies that now oversee information management, including the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Chinese officials have in recent years emphasised the need to strengthen their control over the valuable data generated by swaths of the economy, including its internet industry. 

Globally, governments are