China authorities name 105 apps for improper data practices

China’s internet watchdog has said it found Bytedance’s Douyin, Microsoft Bing, LinkedIn and 102 other apps were engaged in improper data collection and usage

HONG KONG -- China’s internet watchdog said Friday it had found Bytedance’s Douyin, Microsoft Bing, LinkedIn and 102 other apps were engaged in improper collection and use of data and ordered them to fix the problem. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said that the 105 apps violated laws by excessively collecting and illegally accessing users’ personal information, according to a statement posted on its site Friday. Other companies it named included short video app Kuaishou, search engine Sogou and Baidu. The watchdog said companies had to fix the problems within 15 working days or face legal consequences. The CAC has stepped up scrutiny of Chinese apps as authorities beef up protection of personal information protection and seek to prevent breaches of online privacy. One concern in China and elsewhere is that many internet companies have collected excessive user information to target consumers with advertisements.