Beijing slaps fines on tutoring apps backed by Tencent, Alibaba

The two apps are the latest in a slew of Chinese firms from giants like Alibaba and Tencent to smaller outfits like online grocery provider Nice Tuan that have fallen afoul of the antitrust watchdog in recent months, as Beijing reins in its once-freewheeling Internet sector. — Bloomberg

China is expanding its far-reaching tech campaign into online education, issuing the maximum penalties to two of the country’s fastest-growing tutoring apps for violating competition and pricing laws.

The State Administration for Market Regulation imposed fines of 2.5mil yuan (RM1.59mil) each on Yuanfudao, backed by Tencent Holdings Ltd, and Zuoyebang, which has received funding from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, according to a statement Monday. The firms were penalised for making misleading claims about their businesses from falsifying the qualifications of teaching staff to faking user reviews, the antitrust watchdog said.