China Cracks Down on Foreign, Domestic Apps’ Data Collection

China has doubled down on excessive data collection by foreign and domestic apps with threats to shutter, blacklist, and publicly name companies that don’t comply.

The Ministry of Information and Industry Technology (MIIT) is requiring app makers to rectify data collection policies that break Chinese law or risk penalties—part of a broader campaign that kicked off in January. The businesses have until Nov. 10 to assess their policies, after which government inspections kick off, with results announced in December.

Both domestic and foreign apps, and app stores, could “be caught in the campaign,” Catherine Zheng, an intellectual property partner at ...