On December 2, 2025, the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC) issued national standard notice, and the national mandatory standard GB 46864-2025 Data security technology—Technical requirements for information sanitization of electronic products is announced for approval and publication. The implementation date of GB 17675-2025 is set on January 1, 2027.

This mandatory national standard aims to regulate the erasure of user data from electronic devices during scenarios such as secondary circulation and recycling, aiming to prevent the leakage of personal information caused by incomplete data removal. The standard was approved and released by the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and the National Standardization Administration of China (SAC).

The scope of application of this standard covers electronic products with non-volatile storage media that are produced or sold within China. This primarily includes products such as mobile phones, tablet computers, laptops, and smart wearable devices. The applicable entities include electronic product manufacturers, third-party developers of information sanitization functions, and operators engaged in the recycling of used electronic products. This standard does not apply to electronic products processing national confidential information, which must comply with relevant national confidentiality regulations.

The core content of the standard centers on "information sanitization," emphasizing its fundamental difference from ordinary deletion by requiring that data be made irrecoverable after sanitization. The main technical requirements include two sanitization methods: data overwrite and block erase. For storage media based on magnetic media, data overwrite must be performed at least three times, including one overwrite with random data. For storage media based on semiconductor media, at least one data overwrite or a block erase operation must be performed. The standard also clarifies that the scope of sanitization must cover all user data, including files, address books, application data, identity information, etc., and requires the sanitization or destruction of all encryption key copies for encrypted devices.

The development of this standard was driven by the need to implement relevant requirements of the Action Plan for Promoting Large-Scale Equipment Renewal and Consumer Goods Trade-in (issued by the State Council in March of 2024) addressing security risks arising from incomplete data sanitization during the circulation of used electronic products, safeguarding user personal information security, and promoting the healthy development of the circular economy. The standard was proposed under the jurisdiction of the Cyberspace Administration of China and organized for development by the SAC/TC260 (Cybersecurity). Key drafting units include the Institute of Information Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Electronics Standardization Institute (CESI), and Honor Device Co., Ltd. etc.

A transition period of 13 months from the date of publication is established to allow relevant enterprises to adapt their technologies and management systems. After the standard's official implementation, electronic product manufacturers must provide built-in or external sanitization tools that comply with the requirements, and recycling operators must establish standardized sanitization procedures and retain operation records.

As a mandatory requirement, this standard will impose compliance obligations on enterprises involved in production, sales, and recycling, driving the industry to establish and improve robust data sanitization mechanisms and enhance overall data security levels.