THE operators of smartphone applications will be deemed to have illegally collected or misused personal information if they fail to inform users why they need to collect such information and how it will be used, a guideline released by the authorities Monday said.

The Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the guideline, which clarifies the behavior required of app operators when they collect personal information.

The guideline, a move to implement the Cybersecurity Law that came into effect in 2017, will help law enforcement departments detect and fight privacy-related violations, the authorities said.

Under Chinese laws and regulations, personal information mainly deals with a person’s identity or private activities, and can include their name, identity card number, telephone numbers and details of their properties or their whereabouts.

The guideline orders app operators to have clear rules on collecting or using personal information, which must be disclosed when users open an app for the first time.

As well as being required to specify what private information of users will be collected, app operators must also inform users why and how they collect or use the information, especially when the information is sensitive, such as identification card and bank account numbers.

App operators who mislead users to get their permission, or intentionally hide or cover up their aims in collecting or using the private information of users, will be deemed to have illegally collected or misused it.

(China Daily)