China: Issued MIIT Notice for apps infringing user rights and interests in January 2024

On 22 January 2024, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued an order listing 31 apps and SDKs that were found to commit user rights violations. The published list includes 'Quanmian Novel', 'Casting Assistant', 'Xiudong', 'Comic Man Speed Version', 'Idle Fish', and 'Amap'. The government instructed a third party to conduct an investigation on the listed apps and SDKs. 31 apps and SDKs were found to breach the Personal Information Protection Law, the Network Security Law, the Telecommunications Regulations and the Regulations on the Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users. The violations involved issues such as misleading 'random redirection' pop-ups and unauthorised collection of personal information. The government has ordered these apps to rectify their practices according to the regulation. Failure to comply will result in further legal action.