Tencent Photo:VCG

 Updated versions of apps from Tencent Holdings must pass technical tests before they can be uploaded, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has announced. The MIIT said nine apps from the tech giant had infringed on user rights this year.

Regulators have been increasing efforts to rectify the infringement of users' rights and interests by apps this year.

On November 3, the MIIT named 38 apps, including Tencent News, QQ Music and Xiaohongshu, which are suspected of excessive collection of users' personal information.

In May, the MIIT ordered several app stores to remove 90 mobile phone apps as they were violating government regulations related to users' personal information.

Tencent told the Global Times on Wednesday that the company is continuing to upgrade its apps to protect users' rights and interests. It said it was cooperating with the regulatory authorities and conducting compliance inspections. 

During this period, users can download and use the existing version of the app as normal. After testing, the current Tencent app downloads in the official and various app stores are all normal, the company said.

China in August passed its Personal Information Protection Law, marking the latest addition to the regulatory framework for the fast-growing digital economy. 

The new legislation is set to be implemented on November 1. Together with the Cyber Security Law, which came into effect on June 1, 2017 and the Data Security Law, which is set to be implemented in September, there will be a comprehensive legal framework to regulate businesses' collection, storage and use of personal data and their handling of key data concerning national security.