The Exploitation of Big Data Technologies in Chinese Retail: Towards the Creation of a Regulatory Framework for Privacy Protection.

Abstract

The thesis aims to analyze the phenomenon of the increasingly indispensable use of Big Data for companies in the retail world, due to the need to anticipate and satisfy the demands of their consumers. Big Data are essential tools for acquiring valuable information on the habits, tastes and characteristics of each user. In the first chapter I will provide an overview of the situation of the retail sector in China, which stands out in the world for its rapid and outstanding digital evolution: Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, which respectively lead e-commerce, search engines and social media, ranked in the top ten internet companies worldwide thanks to their huge number of registered users, daily traffic and trading volume. In the second chapter the function and phenomenon of Big Data will be analyzed in detail, providing respectively the definition of personal data and sensitive personal data, how these information collected through the various touchpoints (social networks and e-commerce platforms) are exploited and the benefits and risks that they can cause to both retailers and consumers. Indeed, the latter receive a unique and personalized service, in line with their preferences, thus facilitating their purchase process, but at what price? The violation of their privacy. Therefore, the third chapter will focus on the issue of privacy: at first, a brief introduction will be made on the concept of privacy in China, from the cultural point of view (in which the Confucian values of sharing with society for the common good have permeated Chinese civilization for years), historical (from the government of Mao, the CCP until 1978 with the first hints of the concept of privacy) and social (related to the policy of control of the present government). Finally, a description of the current regulatory framework inherent to this issue will be provided. Although a comprehensive data protection law in the People's Republic of China does not exist yet, the Government is demonstrating its interest in safeguarding citizens' rights: the rules relating to the protection of personal data and data security are part of a complex framework and can be found in various laws and regulations, of which the most important is the Cybersecurity Law (2017).