The Chinese government has prevented Tencent update any of your existing or new mobile apps and games. The South China Morning Post reports that the move is part of a “temporary administrative guide” and that Ministry of Industry and Technology of the nation’s Information ordered app stores and other platforms to prevent Tencent release updates or new apps starting yesterday.
In a statement, Tencent said it has “regular cooperation with relevant government agencies to ensure regulatory compliance “, and added that all applications “remain functional and available for download“. Tencent currently publishes more than 100 mobile games in China, as well as more than 70 more extensive applications.
Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad emphasized that this measure only applies to China continental and stems from a regulator’s discovery that some applications violated user rights and data protection rules. This is part of a campaign that the Ministry of Industry and Technology The Information Board has been running since last year in an effort to ensure that the Applications comply with data privacy and cybersecurity laws when it comes to collecting user data.
The news follows a series of restrictions implemented by the chinese government against the space of video game, most notably with the limit of three hours per week of playing time for players under the age of 18.
The government has also introduced monthly spending limits for young players, has further tightened restrictions on game content, banned children under the age of 16 from live streaming their game sessions, and is testing a website where people can report companies that are not complying with the new rules. .