China Finds 43 Apps Including Tencent's Weixin in Breach of User Data Rules
August 18 2021 - 7:16AM
Dow Jones News
By Yifan Wang
China has called out 43 apps, including Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s
billion-user messaging app Weixin, for breaching user data
rules.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in a
statement on Wednesday that several Tencent apps, including Weixin,
Tencent Video, and Tencent Maps, have accessed users' contact lists
and location data, going against existing rules. The authority also
pointed to harassment of users with pop-up windows.
The authority cited other apps, including iQiyi's video
streaming platform and Suning.com's ecommerce app.
The MIIT ordered the 43 apps to rectify their operations by Aug.
25, and threatened punishment if necessary actions aren't carried
out in time.
The move came on the same day that Tencent released its
second-quarter earnings.
The ministry has launched an ongoing crackdown on violations of
user rights and data by digital apps since 2020, when China began
to tighten its grip on the fast-expanding internet industry.
The government agency had earlier found other apps, including
those owned by large tech firms ByteDance Ltd. and HUYA Inc., to be
in breach of data privacy rules.
Write to Yifan Wang at yifan.wang@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 18, 2021 07:06 ET (11:06 GMT)
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