Internet services for the elderly have been standardized

In order to help key groups such as the elderly and the disabled to obtain and use Internet application information equally and conveniently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued the "Notice on Further Implementing the Special Action for Making Internet Applications Adaptable to the Elderly and Accessible", requiring relevant Internet websites and APPs to complete the adaptation to the elderly and barrier-free transformation before September 30 this year, in accordance with the "General Design Specifications for Internet Websites Adaptable to the Elderly" and "General Design Specifications for Mobile Internet Applications (APPs) Adaptable to the Elderly", and apply for evaluation to the China Internet Association and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology respectively.

According to the relevant person in charge of the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the adaptation of Internet websites for the elderly should be simplified in terms of interface elements, differentiated in terms of service forms, flattened in terms of information content, unified in terms of functional identification, and consistent in terms of operating procedures. While providing extra-large fonts, high-contrast background colors, text magnification, and voice reading services to assist in reading, a simplified interface version and information visualization in the form of artificial intelligence push should be provided to support the elderly in perceiving web content and obtaining services.

For mobile Internet applications (APP), when providing elderly-friendly services, companies can, based on actual conditions, embed the elderly-friendly version of the interface in the APP or develop a separate elderly-friendly APP to ensure the sustainable operation of the service, and put forward specific specifications for the font, font size, text line spacing, contrast, verification code, etc. within the APP.

In addition, the Notice specifically states that web pages that provide age-friendly services or independent age-friendly websites and apps should not have any inductive buttons that induce downloads or payments, and that advertising content and plug-ins are strictly prohibited, and that random ads or temporary pop-up ads are not allowed. For web pages that lead to legal commitments or financial transactions by users, submission actions are reversible, and submissions can be revoked within 10 minutes, or can be modified and submitted again within 10 minutes.

"The homepage of a mobile application with an embedded senior-friendly interface must have a prominent entrance, support switching to the senior-friendly version, or provide a prominent switching prompt when entering for the first time, and provide an 'senior version' entrance in 'settings'." A relevant person in charge of the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology introduced that mobile applications should follow the principle of minimum necessity when processing personal information, that is, the processing of personal information should have a clear and reasonable purpose, and should be limited to the minimum scope to achieve the processing purpose, and personal information processing unrelated to the processing purpose should not be carried out to ensure the personal information security of elderly users. Specific information collected, such as location information, picture information, etc., should comply with the requirements of the "Regulations on the Scope of Necessary Personal Information of Common Types of Mobile Internet Applications" and the "Minimum Necessary Evaluation Specifications for APP Collection and Use of Personal Information".

The Notice points out that before November 30 this year, relevant Internet websites and apps that pass the evaluation will be awarded the information accessibility logo by the Internet Society of China and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, respectively, with a validity period of two years. After the transformation is completed, each Internet website and app must continue to do a good job in the maintenance and optimization of subsequent versions. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will organize spot checks on the latest versions of Internet websites and apps for aging and barrier-free transformation, and the granting units will extend or revoke the granted logos based on the results of the spot checks.

At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and local communications administration bureaus will, based on applications from enterprises and according to the evaluation results of Internet websites and apps and the granting of logos, give extra credit points in the "corporate credit evaluation" to companies that perform outstandingly in aging-friendly and barrier-free transformation work.