China widens tech crackdown with ‘app cleanup’ campaign

Beijing: China’s industry ministry has announced a six-month campaign to clean up what it says are serious problems with internet apps violating consumer rights, cybersecurity and “disturbing market order”.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in an online notice that, among other things, companies must fix pop-ups on apps that deceive and mislead users or force them to use services they might not want.

The order is part of China’s ongoing tech crackdown and police the use of personal information. Authorities have ordered fines and other penalties for some of China’s biggest tech companies.