Word, Excel and PowerPoint were on the list of software that sent frequent or excessive requests for user permissions.
Chinese regulators have tightened their crackdown on user data collection by tech companies. In this regard, the authorities have named 291 applications for smartphones, including applications from the popular Microsoft Office suite, that mislead users or violate privacy.
According to the PRC Ministry of Industry and Informatization, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint were on the list of programs that sent mandatory, frequent or excessive requests for user permissions.
The agency also found that 51Job recruitment app, 36Kr tech news app and Yinxiang Biji note-taking app, the Chinese version of Evernote, violated existing user data collection guidelines. The Zhaopin program, for example, misled users when downloading the application.
The ministry’s latest move also affected apps with toast notifications that could not be closed, as well as programs that force users to navigate to new pages using text, images and videos.
The verification of the applications was carried out after the entry into force of the new rules of the ministry on May 1. The rules make app providers responsible for collecting so-called “excessive” user data unrelated to their core services and forcing users to give uninformed consent to the use of their data.
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