China says 33 apps break rules in gathering user information

Employees walk through a lobby at the Baidu Inc. headquarters in Beijing. China has started to rein in its Internet companies on concerns over their growing influence in every aspect of Chinese life, as well as the vast amounts of data they’ve amassed through providing services like online shopping, chatting and ride-hailing. — Bloomberg

China said thirty-three applications, including map navigation software provided by Baidu Inc and Tencent Holdings Ltd, violated regulations, with most collecting personal information that weren’t relevant to their services.

The operators of the apps were asked to rectify the issues within 10 working days or be subject to penalties, the Cyberspace Administration of China said in a statement, without elaborating. Authorities had carried out recent checks into apps that were widely used, the agency said.