Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Vigorously safeguard personal information security and achieve fundamental improvement in the consumption environment

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported 157 apps that violated user rights. At the press conference on the development of industry and information technology in 2020 held by the State Council Information Office today, a reporter asked what behaviors of violating users were mainly involved in the reported apps? What is the effect of the rectification? What kind of punishment and supervision measures will the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology take next?

In this regard, Zhao Zhiguo, spokesman of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and director of the Information and Communications Administration, introduced that recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported the first batch of 157 apps that infringed on user rights this year, mainly involving illegal collection of personal information, illegal use of personal information, and APPs forcibly, frequently, and excessively requesting permissions. In response, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requires relevant apps to complete rectification and implementation work before January 29, and will promptly carry out verification and re-inspection and other related work in the future. For apps that fail to complete rectification on time, relevant disposal measures such as public notification and removal from shelves will be taken in accordance with laws and regulations.

Zhao Zhiguo said that with the development of informatization, personal information protection has become more important. In order to better protect the rights and interests of users, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has taken a series of measures, especially special rectification, which have achieved positive results. Last year, four major measures were taken:

First, carry out special rectification. Since 2019, special actions have been carried out for two consecutive years, focusing on rectifying APPs and other illegal processing of user personal information, setting obstacles and frequently harassing users. Ten categories of problems. From 2019 to the present, we have completed technical inspections of 620,000 APPs, ordered 2,234 illegal APPs to rectify, publicly reported 500 APPs, and removed 132 APPs that were not rectified or refused to rectify. Second, promote standard formulation. Organize industry forces to promote the formulation of the "APP User Rights Protection Evaluation Specification" and the "APP Collection and Use of Personal Information Minimum Necessary Evaluation Specification" series of standards. At present, the formulation of 27 relevant standards has been completed and officially released to the public. Third, strengthen the construction of means. Actively apply relevant technologies and promote the construction of relevant monitoring platforms, especially the use of new technologies and means such as artificial intelligence and big data, and continuously optimize and efficiently promote the construction of national APP technical testing platforms. Fourth, strengthen industry self-discipline. Based on the previous organization of 11 Internet companies by the Ministry to make public commitments to the society, the Ministry organized the Communications Administration Bureaus of Zhejiang and other provinces to promote local Internet companies to make public commitments, promote industry self-discipline, and establish awareness of the high-voltage red line of personal information protection.

"In the next step, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will further increase its efforts. Overall, we must safeguard users' personal information security and data security to achieve a fundamental improvement in the consumption environment," said Zhao Zhiguo.