Authorities in China have ordered the domestic technology giant Tencent to put on hold its planned launching of new apps in the country.
A temporary suspension of updates to the products of the company has also been ordered by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
This latest measure from the technology industry regulator comes at a time when it is examining whether the tech companies are meeting the new privacy rules that have been introduced in the country earlier this month.
The regulator however has allowed downloading and usage as normal of the current versions of the apps form the company.
According to reports, it is estimated that the current suspension on the roll out of new apps and updates will be implementable till the end of the current year – until when the regulator will conduct testing of the apps and updates for privacy compliance.
"We are continuously working to enhance user protection features within our apps, and also have regular cooperation with relevant government agencies to ensure regulatory compliance. Our apps remain functional and available for download," Tencent said in statement.
This latest order from the regulator also coincides with the new Information Protection Law that has come into force at the beginning of November. According to the Chinese regulators, the new set of privacy rules has the target of greater tightening of regulation of the manner in which Chinese technology companies deal their personal data of their users.
This strategy is a part of a broader policy of the Chinese government for enhanced oversight over some of the largest the firms of the country.
Prior to the regulator allowing the roll out of new apps and app updates for the use of the public and the existing users, all new app roll outs and updates will remain suspended starting November 24 till the end of the year, the MIIT had said, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.
A slew of tough actions against the Chinese tech industry has been taken in recent months by Chinese authorities which include tough crackdown by ecommerce companies, online finance services, social media platforms, gaming companies, cloud computing providers, ride-hailing apps and cryptocurrency miners and exchanges.
The WeChat super app and QQ messaging platform is owned by Tencent, which is the biggest video game seller in the world.
The company's shares closed 3% lower in Hong Kong on Friday.
(Source:www.dailyadvent.com)
A temporary suspension of updates to the products of the company has also been ordered by the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
This latest measure from the technology industry regulator comes at a time when it is examining whether the tech companies are meeting the new privacy rules that have been introduced in the country earlier this month.
The regulator however has allowed downloading and usage as normal of the current versions of the apps form the company.
According to reports, it is estimated that the current suspension on the roll out of new apps and updates will be implementable till the end of the current year – until when the regulator will conduct testing of the apps and updates for privacy compliance.
"We are continuously working to enhance user protection features within our apps, and also have regular cooperation with relevant government agencies to ensure regulatory compliance. Our apps remain functional and available for download," Tencent said in statement.
This latest order from the regulator also coincides with the new Information Protection Law that has come into force at the beginning of November. According to the Chinese regulators, the new set of privacy rules has the target of greater tightening of regulation of the manner in which Chinese technology companies deal their personal data of their users.
This strategy is a part of a broader policy of the Chinese government for enhanced oversight over some of the largest the firms of the country.
Prior to the regulator allowing the roll out of new apps and app updates for the use of the public and the existing users, all new app roll outs and updates will remain suspended starting November 24 till the end of the year, the MIIT had said, according to the state broadcaster CCTV.
A slew of tough actions against the Chinese tech industry has been taken in recent months by Chinese authorities which include tough crackdown by ecommerce companies, online finance services, social media platforms, gaming companies, cloud computing providers, ride-hailing apps and cryptocurrency miners and exchanges.
The WeChat super app and QQ messaging platform is owned by Tencent, which is the biggest video game seller in the world.
The company's shares closed 3% lower in Hong Kong on Friday.
(Source:www.dailyadvent.com)