Beijing's new privacy rules ban apps collecting unnecessary data, require free service without data slurps

China has set new rules that spell out data that local app-makers can collect and store, but won't sanction apps that go beyond the permitted data collection regime. The notice outlining the new rules was signed on 12 March by four administrative offices and issued on a government website last week. The rules come into effect …

[Anonymous Coward]

:) :(

The rules seem very reasonable and I would be more than happy with any regulatory body that adopted them.

But without sanctions they are useless.

Plus, it's not as if the Chinese government is going to abide by them.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: :) :(

Reasonable indeed, a pity Google and its like won't do the same.

[John Jennings]

Re: :) :(

China is interested in managing its citizens personal information with enterprises- and not permitting it in commercial contexts.

It is not interested in limiting its data collection - and this doesn't break that.

However, I think the approach is a bit naive - it would be stronger if the classifications are principles based, rather than the prescriptive methods suggested, For example - what is Facebook? Its a social media platform, its a chat platform, telephony and a sales and marketing tool. The context is king.

Further, the problem with a prescriptive list is that functionality could change over time. 20 years ago - we didnt have FB, The whole concept of Social Media is new. What new thing will arise, outside the controls (or shoehorned into an inappropriate area)?

[Potemkine!]

All your data are belong to us

For great justice

[Hubert Cumberdale]

Do as we say, not as we do.

[Mike 137]

"mobile number"

Aren't there any landline phones in the Middle Kingdom ("Zhongguo")?

"Mobile" seems to be the new word for "telephone" pretty much worldwide, despite fixed infrastructure still being more reliable, more private, more secure against fraud, more etc., etc.

[IGotOut]

Re: "mobile number"

"fixed infrastructure still being more reliable, more private, more secure against fraud, more..."

I guess you have never worked in Telecoms. More reliable yes...well until someone in a JCB

comes along.

As for the others? Oh you poor naive fool.

Hint: To hack a mobile phone call takes way more effort than a hand set and crocodile clips.

[Pascal Monett]

Re: Hint

The amount of data hoovered by the NSA daily says the contrary.

[Anonymous Coward]

malware and online security and malware

"Many apps must also provide basic functions without any data being harvested. Women’s health apps, webcasting, online audio and video playing, news, sport and fitness, online browsers, basic testing, malware and online security and malware, e-books, beautifying photo filters and similar, app store search and download, and phone utilities, all fall under that rule."

I see what you did there

[Pascal Monett]

Malware cannot harvest any data ?

I'm sure malware makers will do their best to respect those rules.

[x 7]

"1984" was supposed to be a warning.

The Chinese are using it as a template

[Jimmy2Cows]

Almost certainly so, but in this instance they seem to be doing something useful.

App makers the world over have monumentally proven they cannot be trusted to limit their own slurp to just what is strictly necessary to provide their service.

China seems to have cajones to actually do something about it. Of course they won't abide by their own rules, but what government does?

Western governments are balls deep in their lobbyist pockets, so don't dare take such action.

[x 7]

No they're not doing anything useful.

They're simply making sure the only malware on chinese systems is that installed by the chinese government - they don't want anything else getting in the way

[Blackjack]

Hypocrisy is the name of the game.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/03/chinas-tech-giants-test-way-around-apples-new-privacy-rules/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_spy_cases_in_the_United_States

And I could link more but It would probably get marked as spam.

To sum up China wants the monopoly on spying.

These laws won't apply to the Chinese government itself.