Eighteen apps were found collecting personal information without users' consent, said China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Tuesday in a report on the quality of telecommunications services in the first quarter of 2019.

The report said the MIIT conducted random checks on 106 internet services of 100 internet enterprises in the first quarter, and found that 18 enterprises had problems such as failing to publicize rules on user information collection and use, inform the channels for personal data correction, or provide account cancellation services.

Among them were familiar names including the food delivery platform Ele.me, social shopping platform Xiaohongshu (or Little Red Book), cross-border e-commerce platform NetEase Kaola, and web browser CM Browser developed by Cheetah Mobile.

These companies were also blamed for misleading users to agree that their data be collected and used.

These companies have been asked to make rectifications.

Besides, the MIIT did technical tests on apps in 50 mobile app stores, and 33 apps were removed from the stores for illegally harvesting users' personal information or forcing users to install other promotional apps.

The ministry also handled complaints over spam messages, phone frauds and other telecommunications services.

It reminds users of improving security awareness, timely reporting phone harassment or scam, and downloading apps from formal channels, reading service agreement, user privacy policy and cellphone access instructions before installation.

China is making efforts to legislate on the protection of personal information to further strengthen such protection.