China wants all apps to file business details - report
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China will require all mobile app providers in the Asian nation to submit business details with the government, Reuters reported citing the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
The move is an effort to keep checks on the industry. MIIT said that apps without proper filings will be punished after the grace period is over which will end in March 2024, the report added.
Experts say the move would potentially restrict the number of apps and hit small developers hard.
App publishing company AppInChina's Co-Founder Rich Bishop noted that the new rule may affect foreign-based developers which have been able to publish their apps easily via Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store without showing any documentation to the Chinese government, according to the report.
Bishop added that app developers now must either have a company in China or work with a local publisher in order to comply with the new rules.
Apple had over a hundred AI apps from its App Store last week to comply with rules after China introduced a new licencing regime for generative AI apps for the country.
In July, China published interim measures for managing generative Artificial Intelligence (gen AI) services, which would go into effect Aug. 15.
The ministry's notice added that entities "engaged in internet information services through apps in such fields as news, publishing, education, film and television and religion should also submit relevant documents," the report added.
The requirement could also affect the availability of social media apps such as X, and Meta Platforms' (NASDAQ:META) Facebook and Instagram, the report added. China does not allow use of such apps but they can be still downloaded from app stores, and people can use them while traveling abroad, according to the report.
Mobile game apps are already required to get licences before they launch in the country. China had taken down tens of thousands of unlicenced games from several app stores in 2020.
Earlier this month, China also drafted guidelines for preventing minors from spending too much time on their smartphones, dealing a potential blow to social media providers.
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