China Flags 72 Mobile Apps for Illegal Personal Data Collection, Including Minsheng and HSBC Apps

China's National Cybersecurity Information Notification Center said 72 mobile apps were found to have one or more violations involving the collection and use of personal information, according to Jiemian News. Jiemian’s review showed the list included apps linked to financial institutions such as China Minsheng Bank, Minsheng Futures, Ping An Securities, Great Wall Securities, and HSBC Bank. The WeChat mini program “Minsheng Bank Corporate Account e+” was cited five times for issues including obtaining consent through default acceptance of privacy policies, collecting personal data or enabling permissions before user consent, failing to handle complaints within promised time limits, lacking specific rules for processing personal information of minors under 14, and not adopting security measures such as encryption or de-identification. The WeChat mini program “Minsheng Micro Service Hall,” operated by Minsheng Futures, was cited three times, including for not providing effective functions to correct/delete personal information or close user accounts, failing to handle complaints on time, and not providing a way to withdraw consent for data collection. Other named apps included “Taicang Rural Commercial Bank Mobile Banking” (version 3.0.9, Tencent MyApp), cited for providing personal information to third parties without user consent and without anonymization, and for privacy policy deficiencies; “HSBC Bank” (version 3.68.13, vivo app store), cited for failing to inform users of recipient details and obtain separate consent when providing personal information to other processors; and the WeChat mini program “Tonghuashun Stocks,” cited for default consent practices and inadequate disclosure/consent when sharing data with other processors. Two Alipay mini programs for device rentals—“Jutou Rental” and “Zujixing”—were also cited for default consent practices. The apps were tested between May 20, 2026 and June 22, 2026. The notice also said that of 71 apps flagged in the previous round, 28 still had problems after re-testing and had been removed from distribution platforms.