Guangdong authority orders Tencent, Xpeng, other tech firms to amend apps over cybersecurity concerns

  • More than 70 per cent of the 201 apps reprimanded by the Guangdong Communications Administration failed to specify the purpose, means and scope of data collection
  • Up to 40 per cent were found to have collected personal information before receiving user consent

China has continued its campaign against breaches of personal privacy in the world’s largest internet market. Photo: Xinhua

The communications authority in southern Guangdong province has cracked down on the operation of 209 apps, including seven run by internet giant Tencent Holdings and one from electric car maker Xpeng, over privacy and security concerns amid China’s renewed drive against misuse of consumer data.

The Guangdong Communications Administration in November and December last year ordered 201 of those apps to be rectified for infringing user rights and posing as cybersecurity risks across a range of categories, including video games, retail, and banking and finance, according to a notice on the agency’s website on Monday. It said eight other apps were directed to shut down.

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