China has released the names of the first batch of mobile app stores that have concluded providing business information to authorities.
According to the Cyberspace Administration of China, 26 app stores run by companies like Tencent, Huawei, Ant Group, Baidu, Xiaomi, and Samsung have filed paperwork with the authorities. However, the list does not include the App Store from Apple.
Over the past few years, Beijing has increased its monitoring of mobile app and smartphone use. The nation now demands that mobile app retailers and mobile apps provide the government with business information.
The industry is concerned that these laws will make it impossible to publish apps in the second-largest economy in the world and that many apps may need to be removed.
Beijing’s push to increase surveillance of apps came into sharper focus when the CAC released a new guideline in June of last year requiring app stores to provide company details and announcing it would hold app stores accountable if apps contain unlawful content.
In August, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice requiring mobile apps to finish filing by the end of March.
