Today (14th), the Information and Communications Administration of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the "Notice on APP (SDK) Violations of User Rights and Interests (2nd Batch, 37th Batch in 2024)". In response to outstanding user feedback on issues such as "shaking and shaking" and random jumping, "unable to close information windows", and illegal collection and use of personal information, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology organized third-party testing agencies to conduct inspections, and a total of 62 apps and SDKs were found to have infringed on user rights and interests.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued a notice requiring that apps and SDKs that have committed infringement should be rectified in accordance with relevant regulations. If the rectification is not fully implemented, our department will organize relevant disposal work in accordance with the law and regulations.
New Consumer Daily found in the list that the infringement activities detected this time involve many fields such as sports detection, gaming, reading, life services, and medical services. Among them, there are brand apps and mini programs with a large user base that consumers are very familiar with.
Specifically, Tuhu Yangche, which specializes in automotive after-sales service, has been named and reported for violating regulations in collecting personal information, collecting personal information beyond the scope, and frequently and excessively requesting permissions through the APP; The monster charging mini program, which specializes in sharing power banks, forced users to be named and reported due to deception and misleading; The tea Baidao mini program, which mainly sells milk tea chain, has been named and notified due to mandatory, frequent, and excessive requests for permission.
In addition, iFlytek Xiaoyi, which specializes in "artificial intelligence+medical", was named and reported for collecting personal information beyond the scope. As a medical service platform under iFlytek, it just submitted its IPO prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in January this year. The TapADN SDK, an advertising portal under the game community TapTap platform, has also been named and reported for violating regulations, collecting personal information beyond the scope, forcing users to use targeted push functions, and incomplete SDK usage instructions.
At the beginning of 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced that among the first batch of infringing apps (SDKs), several well-known applications such as the second-hand trading platform Xianyu and the map navigation platform Gaode Map also appeared. It is evident that regardless of the size of the company or user base, operators must prioritize protecting the personal information rights of citizens.
Since the implementation of the Personal Information Protection Law on November 1, 2022, third-party collection and use of personal information of citizens must follow the principles of legality, legitimacy, and necessity, and the purpose must be clear and with the informed consent of the user; Users have the right to restrict, refuse, or withdraw the processing of their personal information by others, which provides a basis for punishment for illegal and irregular behaviors such as excessive information collection and big data killing.
For apps (SDKs) that refuse to rectify or delay rectification, depending on the severity of the infringement, they may be ordered to suspend business for rectification, have their illegal gains confiscated, and even have their relevant business licenses revoked or business licenses revoked, with corresponding fines imposed on the company and responsible persons.
It is worth noting that in the latest announcement of the CCTV 315 Evening Party in 2024, Internet data fraud, new online fraud and other infringements will be important targets for disclosure. The topics related to personal information security, privacy, and property security also touch the hearts of all consumers.
The following is a complete list of notifications on apps (SDKs) that infringe on user rights (2nd batch, 37th batch in 2024):