41 mobile apps named for infringing users' rights

Forty-one mobile apps were named by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for infringing users’ rights, including personal data rights.

These apps include QQ, a popular instant messaging app; Sina Sports; Sohu News; and FlashEx, an express delivery app, the ministry said on Thursday.

Infringements range from illegally collecting and using users’ data, to forcibly acquiring user permissions and setting obstacles when users attempt to cancel their accounts.

Developers of these apps were told to correct these violations by the end of this year, or they would face unspecified punishments.

The ministry is in the midst of a campaign aimed at better protecting users’ personal data and privacy. More than 8,000 mobile apps have carried out self-inspections and fixed problems.