China authorities name 105 apps for improper data practices

HONG KONG — China’s internet watchdog said Friday it had found Bytedance’s Douyin, Microsoft Bing, LinkedIn and 102 other apps were engaged in improper collection and use of data and ordered them to fix the problem. The Cyberspace Administration of China said that the 105 apps violated laws by excessively collecting and illegally accessing users’ personal information, according to a statement posted on its site Friday. One concern in China and elsewhere is that many internet companies have collected excessive user information to target consumers with The crackdown comes even as the Chinese government itself collects information about its citizens on a massive scale. The internet watchdog earlier ordered security apps developed by Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding to stop gathering information from users without their consent.