Why are they so obsessed with Tencent? How hard do the relevant departments work to review apps before they are put on the shelves?

Yesterday, the news that "Tencent's apps are not allowed to be newly launched or updated" became a hot search on major platforms. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a special campaign to rectify apps that infringe on user rights, which was praised and welcomed by netizens.

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In the news about the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology notifying apps of violations, we often see the shadow of Tencent, so much so that many people feel strange, as if the relevant departments have been keeping a close eye on Tencent?

In fact, this is an illusion. At the press conference on the 14th Five-Year Plan for the development of the information and communications industry held by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on November 16, Wang Peng, deputy director of the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, introduced that 21 batches of 2.44 million apps have been tested, 2,049 apps have been reported, and 540 apps that refused to rectify have been removed from the shelves.

It can be seen that Tencent is not the only company to be punished for App violations.

Is Tencent wronged?

It can be said that it is not unfair for Tencent to be fined. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has been continuously carrying out the work of "correcting the work style in the information and communication industry" since 2019. In 2021 alone, 9 apps of Tencent were notified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, covering multiple fields such as instant messaging, maps, games, videos, music, etc.

There are as many as 10 violations involved:

• Illegal use of communication records and geographic location permissions
• Deceiving and misleading users to download apps
• Illegal use of personal information
• App frequently starts automatically and starts in association
• Illegal collection of personal information
• Pop-up messages harass users
• Deceiving, misleading and forcing users
• The app information on the app distribution platform is not clearly stated
• Force users to use the targeted push function
• Collecting personal information beyond the scope

After multiple batches of reports were filed involving multiple violations, which violated the relevant requirements for the information and communication industry's work style and rectification in 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology took transitional administrative guidance measures against Tencent, requiring that its new App products and updated versions of App products must undergo technical testing organized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology before they can be put on the shelves normally.

Violations, high pressure deterrence

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has always maintained a "high-pressure deterrent" attitude towards App violations, which can be said to be extremely harsh. Since the launch of the "Correcting the Practice of Information and Communications Industry" campaign in 2019, cases of App violations have been decreasing. We rarely see those apps that cannot be closed and induce users to click. There are also fewer apps that frantically request permissions and illegally collect personal information. The work of relevant departments has achieved obvious results.

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How strong is the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's crackdown on illegal apps?

Let’s take the illegal collection and use of personal information as an example.

According to the "Method for Identifying Illegal and Irregular Collection and Use of Personal Information by Apps" implemented on November 28, 2019, in addition to serious illegal and irregular behaviors such as misleading users to agree to collect personal information through improper means such as fraud and deception, lighter violations, such as checking the privacy policy by default, will also be identified as "collecting and using personal information without the user's consent."

Rules for collecting personal information and privacy policies that are obscure or difficult to understand, or are displayed in too dense text or too light colors, will also be considered violations.

To be honest, most people don’t read privacy policies and rules for collecting personal information when using apps, but the “Identification Method” considers these to be violations. There are six major items and 31 rules for identifying apps that illegally collect and use personal information. It may seem like a small matter, but it is a big deal in front of the relevant departments.

Personal information protection, anti-monopoly, anti-unfair competition... plus various rules and regulations, Internet companies have to consider compliance while creating products that are popular with users. In the long run, the introduction of these policies, laws and regulations is also protecting my country's Internet companies.