China suspends Didi app over data violation

BEIJING: China‘s cyberspace administration said that it had ordered smartphone app stores to stop selling the ride-hailing firm Didi Global’s app after finding that Didi had illegally collected users’ personal data.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said on its social media feed that it had ordered Didi to make changes to comply with Chinese data protection rules.

CAC on Friday announced an investigation into Didi to protect “national security and the public interest”, two days after the firm began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Didi, which offers services in China and more than 15 other markets, gathers vast amounts of real-time mobility data every day. It uses some of the data for autonomous driving technologies and traffic analysis.

Didi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Founded by Will Cheng in 2012, the company has already been subject to regulatory probes in China over safety and its operating licence.