China penalizes over 400 apps and SDKs over personal information violations
Dragon Media News Desk
China has penalized more than 400 mobile applications and software development kits, or SDKs, for violations related to the collection and use of users’ personal information.
The measures include orders requiring some applications to be removed from app stores.
The action was taken under a special campaign on personal information protection jointly carried out by the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security and other authorities.
Since the campaign began in April, more than 4,000 mobile apps and SDKs have been instructed to complete compliance rectifications. Chinese authorities said more than 1,100 of them have been publicly identified for relevant violations.
More than 1,000 companies and institutions have also been urged to address weaknesses in the personal information practices of their digital products.
Regulators have focused particularly on practices in which companies fail to clearly inform users that personal information is being collected for advertising or user profiling, or fail to provide an effective option to disable personalized advertising.
Authorities have also targeted practices such as collecting personal information without proper consent, requesting more information than necessary for a service, seeking access to location data, contact lists or other sensitive information without sufficient justification, and failing to provide convenient account-deletion options.
The campaign has also included personal information risk assessments in sectors including education, transportation, healthcare and finance.
Inspections have focused on whether service providers collect excessive personal information, whether users are adequately informed when information is shared with third parties, and whether sufficient safeguards are in place to protect personal data.
Combating illegal trading and misuse of personal information has formed another major part of the campaign.
China has strengthened regulation of personal information in recent years as part of its broader approach to cybersecurity and data protection. According to Chinese public security authorities, more than 40,000 cases involving infringement of citizens’ personal information were investigated or handled between 2020 and 2024.
In 2025, the Ministry of Public Security also intensified law enforcement and regulatory oversight related to personal information, data security and network security.
The latest campaign reflects China’s increasing regulatory focus on how personal information is collected, processed and transferred as digital services continue to expand.
Authorities have placed particular emphasis on transparency in the use of personal information for advertising, user profiling and automated recommendation systems, as well as on ensuring that users are given meaningful options to refuse such services.
