The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China ('MIIT') announced, on 17 December 2021, that the Anhui Provincial Communications Administration has continued to carry out special rectification actions against apps that infringe users' rights and interests.

Background to the case

In particular, the MIIT noted that the Communications Administration's investigation focuses on apps in the province that have a large number of users and for which complaints and reports have been received, among others. More specifically, the MIIT noted that, in response to prominent problems, such as illegal collection of personal information, excessive claims for rights, and frequent harassment by the apps, the Communications Administration inspected a total of 124 apps.

Findings of the MIIT

Following its investigation, the MIIT noted that the Communications Administration issued a notice of correction to relevant companies in accordance with the law, and requested rectification within a specific timeframe.

Outcomes

Finally, the MIIT noted that a total of 51 apps were publicly exposed, and 16 apps were removed from app stores. As next steps, the MIIT noted that the Communications Administration will further deepen its supervision, strengthen the implementation of users' personal information protection requirements, continue to promote the improvement of app service quality, and aim to create a safer, healthier, and cleaner app environment.

You can read the press release, only available in Chinese, here.