China’s internet regulator has said that a large number of mobile apps need to take rectification measures for the over-collection of personal data, clamping down on the practice as the country’s over 800 million mobile users increasingly shop and order services exclusively online.
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The National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team issued its half-yearly report on Tuesday, saying a national response to the problem is necessary. Beijing authorities last month censured several popular apps, including food delivery platform Ele.me and social commerce site Xiaohongshu, for over-collection of user data.
“A large number of apps exhibit abnormal behavior, such as detecting other apps or reading and writing user device files, posing a potential security threat to the user’s information security,” the regulator wrote in the report.
Moreover, a number of apps with a large download volume applied for permission to carry out tasks unrelated to their business, according to the regulator.
The clampdown comes amid rising anxiety over data privacy among China’s netizens, particularly in high-tech cities such as Shenzhen, where people increasingly do all of their shopping and food ordering online. Global tech giants such as Facebook and Google have also come under pressure over data privacy as legislators in the US and Europe push for tougher privacy laws.
According to a Bloomberg report this week, Facebook had been paying outside contractors to transcribe user audio calls on its Messenger app. The social media giant said it had ended the practice.
China’s regulators are also collecting public feedback on the issue, as many internet users have posted concerns on social media sites about apps that force them to share their personal data in order to use a service or complete a transaction.
Beijing authorities have taken down a number of apps in recent months over privacy and content issues, seeking rectification measures by operators.
Xiaohongshu, China’s social commerce unicorn with 85 million monthly active users, was pulled from Chinese app stores earlier this month amid a content review. NetEase Music was also pulled for 30 days earlier this year for unknown reasons.
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Editing by Charmaine de Lazo
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