Consumer group questions Tencent over data privacy policy for WeChat personalised ads
- 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
- The consumer watchdog’s latest move comes amid China’s tighter scrutiny over how internet companies collect and handle user data under tough new privacy law
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.