China’s social media giant Tencent Holdings was suspended from releasing new mobile applications and updating existing ones without regulators’ approval after allegations that several of its products violated consumer interests. 6park.com
The order is part of “temporary administrative guidance” against Tencent as regulators ramp up scrutiny of the country’s internet sector, state media reported Wednesday. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) told app stores and platforms to carry out the order immediately. 6park.com
互联网应用多次侵害用户权益将被重罚。11月24日，网传即日起腾讯旗下所有App不得新上架，同时暂停现有版本更新。通知要求各应用商店和分发平台立即执行。腾讯对此回应称，正持续升级App对用户权益保护的各项措施，并配合监管部门进行正常的合规检测。在此期间，用户可正常下载使用App现有版本。 6park.com
据财新记者了解，腾讯此次被处罚源于其旗下App侵害用户权益，一年内被工信部通报了四次。 6park.com
Tencent, China’s most valuable tech company, operates dozens of apps including WeChat, which hosts 1.2 billion users worldwide. Existing apps remain functional and available for download, Tencent said. 6park.com
The punishment is another blow to Tencent in China’s year-long tech crackdown, which has already taken a toll on businesses like gaming and advertising. The company reported slower-than-expected revenue growth in the September quarter amid regulatory headwinds.


The company has run afoul of regulators repeatedly during a clampdown on tech companies’ violations of data protection regulations

Tencent is “continuously working to enhance user protection and also have regular cooperation with relevant government agencies to ensure regulatory compliance,” the company said in a statement. 6park.com
The company has run afoul of regulators repeatedly during a clampdown on tech companies’ violations of data protection regulations. Nine Tencent apps including Tencent News and QQ Music were named by the MIIT on four separate lists of violators after the ministry started making regular disclosures of apps’ breaches of users’ rights. 6park.com
In November last year, the company was also accused by senior MIIT official Lu Chuncong of repeated violations of personal information protection. 6park.com
这已不是腾讯首次被工信部点名批评个人信息保护不到位。2020年11月27日，工信部通信管理局副局长鲁春丛在全国App个人信息保护监管会上表示，部分头部App在个人信息保护的整改上存在思想漠视、侥幸心理、技术对抗的问题。鲁春丛还对腾讯提出点名批评，称旗下QQ、微信、应用宝等产品流量大，所提供的SDK服务在多个领域反复出现违规行为，要求腾讯加强公司内部沟通和整治，“不能反复、老解决不了。” 6park.com
Companies with repeat violations will face severe punishment, one regulatory official told Caixin. According to rules published by the MIIT this year, companies found to have committed violations four times will be subject to relative administrative measures. 6park.com
Under the latest order, the MIIT will conduct “technology testing” to ensure that Tencent’s apps meet standards before the company can offer them to users, according to state media. The order will be in place from Nov. 24 to Dec. 31, and each test may last about seven days. 6park.com
工信部对腾讯公司采取过渡性的行政指导措施，要求腾讯即将发布的APP新产品，以及既有APP产品的更新版本，上架前均需经工信部组织技术检测，检测合格后才能正常上架。腾讯本次整改期限为11月24日至12月31日，单次检测耗时预计约七天。 6park.com
Chinese tech giants including Tencent and its archrival Alibaba Group face greater compliance pressures after China rolled out the new Data Protection Law, which set stricter requirements on tech companies’ handling of users’ personal information. 6park.com
The MIIT announced a five-month campaign Nov. 5 targeting data-related misconduct of apps and their developers. 6park.com
All internet companies are scrambling to adjust their operations to comply with the new laws, a tech company’s legal department staffer said. 6park.com
整个消费互联网产业的商业模式，几乎都建立在基于个人信息的消费数据上，靠广告盈利也是众多互联网应用得以免费的基础，App侵害用户权益问题因此屡禁不止。“为了应对《个人信息保护法》，各家互联网企业的法务都在加班。过去很长时间，整个互联网几乎都搭建在滥用用户个人信息的基础上，面对个保法的细致规定，企业随时可能摔上一跤，需要改的地方太多了。”一名头部互联网公司法务表示。 6park.com
“For a long time, the internet industry has run businesses on the basis of abusing users’ information,” the person said. “There are so many things to be changed, and every company may run afoul of regulators in the face of the stricter laws.” 6park.com
The new data protection law stipulates punishment of as much as 50 million yuan ($7.8 million), or as much as 5% of a company’s annual revenue. The MIIT is also drafting new industry rules for mobile apps which may lead to business suspension of apps that fail to comply.