China's Tencent told to get state approval for new apps: state media

Gaming and messaging elephantine Tencent has been told each its caller apps and updates indispensable beryllium approved by the government, authorities media reported, arsenic Beijing continues its home tech assemblage crackdown.

The Chinese authorities has moved to exert much authorization implicit the manufacture successful the past year, citing concerns that tech giants successful the state person go excessively large and powerful.

This latest determination against embattled Tencent comes aft 9 of the group's apps were recovered to person committed "violations" since the opening of the year, prompting the request for "transitional administrative guidance measures", state media CCTV quoted the authorities arsenic saying.

The institution indispensable taxable immoderate caller apps oregon updates for inspection by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology earlier they tin beryllium uploaded oregon updated.

"After passing inspection, they tin past beryllium launched to users arsenic usual," the ministry said, according to CCTV successful a study Wednesday.

Tencent told AFP it would comply with the requirements.

"We are continuously moving to heighten idiosyncratic extortion features wrong our apps, and besides person regular co-operation with applicable authorities agencies to guarantee regulatory compliance. Our apps stay functional and disposable for download," it said.

China's ruling Communist Party has relied upon success stories similar Tencent to propulsion guardant a integer translation successful the country, and the biggest home apps person hundreds of millions of users.

But Beijing abruptly turned connected the assemblage precocious past twelvemonth arsenic concerns mounted implicit its assertive enlargement and allegations of monopolistic practices and information abuses –- paralleling akin unease with tech firms successful the United States and elsewhere.

This month, Tencent reported its slowest gross maturation since 2004.

The government's crackdown has included measures to dramatically restrict children's video game playing clip and has slowed approvals for caller titles successful the world's biggest gaming market.

In September, hundreds of Chinese video crippled makers, including Tencent, vowed to amended constabulary their products for "politically harmful" contented and enforce curbs connected underage players, arsenic they looked to autumn into enactment with authorities demands.

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© 2021 AFP