China orders removal of numerous app stores Didi ride-hailing app due to privacy violations

Buzz

Chinese cyber security authorities have instructed the removal of Didi Chuxing app from various app stores such as Apple App Store, Huawei AppGallery... over serious allegations of violating regulations on user data collection and usage. For those unfamiliar, Didi in China is akin to Grab in Vietnam, offering a sizable ride-hailing service in the country, having received significant investments from Softbank, Uber, Tencent... The authorities did not provide specific explanations for their decision. Just two days prior, China also announced an investigation into Didi.

Didi stated its intention to update the app to comply with government regulations, and has ceased allowing new account registrations since July 3rd. It remains unclear when registration will be reopened.

It's extremely rare for a large app like this to be removed from the app store, not just in China but globally. From March 2020 to March 2021, Didi had 493 million active users, generating 41 million transactions daily.

This move may be aimed at protecting users, but it also reflects the increasing government intervention in tech companies in the country. Recently, China fined Alibaba $2.8 billion for alleged abuse of their dominant position, and has taken a series of actions to reduce Jack Ma from a powerful billionaire to a 'sad ending'.

Source: TechCrunch

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