On 19 May 2026, the National Technical Committee of Cybersecurity (SAC/TC260) publishes a new practice guideline TC260-005 Ethics-Safety Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence Applications 1.0 . The document is a principle-based reference for enterprises, regulators, testing institutions, and industry associations. It addresses ethical and safe AI application in the areas of personal information, automated decision-making, content labeling, algorithm governance, and intellectual property.
The guideline does not create new rules. It builds on existing legal frameworks and distills mainstream industry practices into a general reference framework. The aim is to help enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, develop AI responsibly and avoid societal harms and compliance costs.
The document places national interest and social order as the highest priority, with individual well-being following. It identifies application developers, service providers, and users as the three major stakeholders. Each has tailored guidelines under the umbrella of general principles. Key issues addressed include algorithmic bias and discrimination, high-risk AI’s impact on human cognition and decision-making, AI literacy principles for all three stakeholder groups, trustworthiness, intellectual property, unfair algorithmic pricing practices, and protection of vulnerable groups including minors, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
The guideline presents the current mainstream AI governance approach to the public, particularly the AI industry. It seeks to reshape industrial practices, correct unethical behavior, and motivate enterprises to adopt the guidelines to reduce compliance risks and build a healthy AI ecosystem serving the public and national interest. For foreign stakeholders, it offers an overview of China’s AI governance approach. The document will be updated on a regular basis as AI governance matures.
For further reference, SAC/TC260 has issued an official interpretation of TC260-005. SESEC has translated the text; download it here: SESEC V Translation – Understanding TC260 – 005
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