Aerial photo taken on Sept. 11, 2020 shows the city view of Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province. Photo:Xinhua

Shenzhen city, Guangdong Province, will phase in multiple Chief Data Officers on a trial basis in order to accelerate local industrial digitalization and better protect cyber security. 

Districts in the city will play different roles in the experiment, according to a government document released on Monday. 

Chief Data Officers will be appointed at Shenzhen municipal government, district level government. Different municipal departments including public security, human resources and market regulation will participate in the CDO trial, the document said.

In addition to constructing a digitalized city and government, the Chief Data Officers will also oversee improving standards for data regulation, including implementing data classification, establishing data directories and monitoring data trading. 

Four Shenzhen districts, including Futian, Nanshan, Bao'an and Pingshan, will trial out different models during the experiment. Pingshan District will focus on pioneering Chief Information Officer and Chief Privacy Officers targeting government data classification and private data protection. 

Global Times