A consumer rights group has publicly questioned Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings over how it is handling data collection and personalised ads on super app WeChat amid Beijing’s intensified regulatory scrutiny and the roll-out of new privacy laws. In a statement issued on Thursday, the Shanghai Consumer Council requested clarity on whether Tencent has stopped collecting user data, or whether it would continue collecting the data but not use it, if users opt out of personalised ads. It also asked for the legal justification if Tencent chose to continue to collect data but not use it. The council also queried Tencent’s statement in its privacy policy about collecting data for “other services” while complying with relevant laws and regulations. “What are these other services? What information are you collecting?” the council asked. WeChat, which has 1.26 billion monthly active users, has recently made it easier for users to turn off ad recommendations based on behavioural data. However, WeChat said that users would not see fewer advertisements after opting out, only that the ads they did see would be less relevant to their interests. China’s central bank says it will get tough on fintech firms’ data use The same consumer group called out Tencent last year for making it difficult for users to opt out from personalised ads, requiring them to go through 11 steps before opting out. In its latest statement, the watchdog said it recognised WeChat’s efforts in improving the situation, as it now allows users to disable the function in five steps. Tencent did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. The consumer watchdog’s latest move comes amid China’s tighter scrutiny over how internet companies collect and handle user data under the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL) that came into effect on November 1. The law, one of the world’s toughest covering personal data security, is expected to make it significantly harder and more costly for tech firms in China to access and use consumer information. It is meant to protect privacy by offering individuals the legal right to say “no” to excessive data collection by business entities and even certain government agencies. Tencent’s chief strategy officer James Mitchell, when asked about the impact of PIPL on its advertising business in a conference call on Wednesday, said the opt-out rate has been “very low, at single digits”. WeChat mini programs pose ‘significant’ risk of personal data leakage However, year-on-year growth for advertising revenue slowed to 5 per cent at 22.5 billion yuan (US$3.5 billion) for the quarter ended September amid macro headwinds and Beijing’s clampdown on the education sector, traditionally a major advertiser on Tencent’s platforms. Personalised advertising has been common in the internet industry, but global tech firms like Google and Facebook allow users to disable the feature. Since September, Apple has begun asking for user consent to enable personalised ads, rather than collecting such data by default.