आईसीटी समाचार
China's cyber regulatory authority published proposed guidelines for mobile applications, including a requirement for security inspections of apps with capabilities that might influence public opinion. The new laws are part of a year-long drive by China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC) to strengthen monitoring of the country's tech enterprises.
The public has until January 20 to provide input on the draft rules. Before releasing "new technologies, new apps, and new functionalities" capable of influencing opinion or mobilizing the public, the plans will require application providers to do a security assessment. The CAC did not name any specific applications or provide any details about the security evaluation process, other than to state that it should be done in compliance with national standards.
According to the regulator, the proposed regulations would include "text, picture, audio, video, and other information generation," as well as instant messaging, news distribution, forum communities, livestreaming, and e-commerce. Mobile app developers must not engage in activities that risk national security or compel users to give non-essential personal information, according to the regulator. It said that news applications must have licenses allowing them to disseminate news.
Chinese authorities have tightened rules in a variety of areas, including gambling, real estate, and education, during the last year. The CAC has been at the forefront of a number of efforts aimed towards the country's IT sector. CAC notified the implementation of two new rules on Tuesday. One law, which takes effect in February, requires platform businesses with over 1 million users to undergo security evaluations before listing overseas. The other rule, which goes into effect in March, limits how corporations employ recommendation algorithms.
