Regulators Order Baidu, Alipay, Toutiao to Resolve Alleged User Privacy Violations
Tang Shihua
DATE:  Jan 12 2018
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Regulators Order Baidu, Alipay, Toutiao to Resolve Alleged User Privacy Violations Regulators Order Baidu, Alipay, Toutiao to Resolve Alleged User Privacy Violations

(Yicai Global) Jan. 12 -- Regulators have ordered platforms that three of China's top internet firms operate to resolve alleged user privacy violations, China Securities Network reported.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology called on officials from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s search engine Baidu, Ant Financial Services Group's third-party online payment platform Alipay and Beijing Bytedance Technology Co., owner of news aggregation app Toutiao to discuss relevant issues yesterday.

The Cyberspace Administration of China went after two financial services companies under Alibaba -- AliPay (China) Internet Technology Co. and Zhima Credit Management Co. -- in a bid to protect users' personal information earlier this month.

The MIIT said that the three firms did not adequately inform users about rules for personal information collection and the purpose of its use. The companies must immediately rectify related problems to protect users' rights to know and choose, the agency said.

The regulator told the companies to collect and use personal information according to lawful, proper and necessary principles and to improve service agreements, user privacy policies and instructions on information use rights.

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Keywords:   Alibaba,ANT FINANCIAL,Baidu,Toutiao,Personal Credit Data,VIOLATION,Official Censure,MIIT