This week, China’s internet regulator sought comments on the information which different apps, like ride-hailing services, can collect.
The Internet regulator made this move after some proposed data protection laws which were released back in October. Moreover, this privacy law is going to be a huge milestone, according to the editorial of China Daily. This law is also going to restrict the data practices to private firms.
The party paper stated, “Some personal information has leaked and it has lead to the losses for the individuals. Moreover, with the extended techniques, personal information has extended to biological information, like genes or an individual’s face, which could lead to severe consequences if misused.”
The main purpose of these draft rules is to take aim at the data collection types which are “necessary, legal and proper.”
The draft also states that the “necessary data is that which ensures the normal operation of apps” functions.
Here is the information about what is considered the “necessary” personal data from different apps:
1. Navigation location
2. Messaging: the real identity and contact list of the user.
3. Payment: the user’s real identity and the payee’s bank information.
4. Ride-hailing: the real identity of the user and the location information.
5. Games: the real identity of the registered user.
6. Online shopping: the real identity of the registered user. It also includes the payment details, address, name, and phone number.
There are also categories of apps that provide the access to the users without getting access to their personal information, short video, live streaming, news, browsers, app stores, and photo editors.
The draft also provides clear cut rules about the apps to follow. However, it doesn’t give any details about how the offenders will be punished.
Recently, France’s watchdog fined Google $166M for inconsistent ad rules. Let’s see what happens in this case.
