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China Extends Didi's Ban to 25 Apps Operated by the Ride-Hailing Giant

China's cyberspace regulator claims the apps illegally collect personal user data.

Image for article titled China Extends Didi's Ban to 25 Apps Operated by the Ride-Hailing Giant
Photo: Greg Baker (Getty Images)

Chinese regulators on Friday ordered mobile stores to take down 25 more apps operated by the ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing, saying that the apps violated local laws regarding the collection and use of personal user data.

After ordering stores to delist Didi’s main app in China last weekend, the Cyberspace Administration of China has expanded its ban to Didi’s apps for corporate users, financial services, and drivers that use its ride-hailing platform. The nation’s cyberspace regulator recently launched a cybersecurity review into Didi and has required the company to stop registering new users for its platforms in the meantime. It also ordered Didi to adhere to legal requirements and enact safeguards to protect the security of users’ personal data.

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Users that already downloaded these apps can still continue to use them as usual. However, the Cyberspace Administration will prohibit websites and platforms from providing access to Didi-linked services in China, according to a Google translation of the statement on the government’s website.

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In a statement posted on the social media platform Weibo, Didi promised to follow the authorities’ requirements and work to address these security concerns.

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Didi sincerely accepts and resolutely obeys the requirements of the relevant competent authorities, strictly in accordance with laws and regulations, with reference to relevant national standards, in-depth investigation and serious rectification of all existing problems, and effectively protect the personal information security of users,” the company said.

As the Wall Street Journal notes, Didi’s regulatory headaches started just days after the company went public at $4.4 billion at the end of June, the largest U.S. IPO for a Chinese company since Alibaba went public in 2014 at $25 billion. In addition to the Cyberspace Administration’s investigation, two U.S. senators have called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether the company misled investors ahead of its initial public offering.

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Authorities in China have also reportedly been working to curb the influence of its largest internet corporations, including Alibaba and Tencent, which collect information from hundreds of millions of users every day.