Mobile internet applications (apps) in China won't be allowed to collect personal data without users' consent or outside the necessary scope, as per new regulations from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The MIIT is going to introduce "Interim Regulations on the Management of Personal Information Protection for Mobile Internet Applications" in an attempt to regulate data collection activities of key players, including app development operators, app distribution platforms, app third-party service providers, mobile terminal telecommunication equipment manufacturers, and network technology service providers, according to CCTV's report on Friday.

The push to shore up data privacy in China is widely seen as an effort to protect and legitimize the country's fast-growing internet sector.

Apps became so widespread and such a common feature in today's life that they allow everything from food deliveries to ticket booking, however, the illegal use of personal information is also prominent. Forced authorization, excessive claims, and collection of personal information beyond the scope are some of the issues detected. 

The regulation will include 22 articles based on two basic principles of informed consent and "minimum necessity. This means the service providers will be obligated to explain the users' terms in a clear, explicit, and simple way, and shall not engage in personal information processing activities beyond the scope of user consent or irrelevant to the service scenario.

If the relevant entity violates the regulations, it will be rectified in accordance with the regulation, publicly notified, removed from app stores, and disconnected from the access process. If the rectification is not completed as required, or there are repeated violations, using technical confrontation to bypass the rulings and other serious violations, in addition to the direct removal and disconnection, the app will be labeled with risk warnings during the assembling, distribution, download, and installation process.