For the first time, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has published a list of details on the algorithms used in select apps by internet companies like Tencent, Alibaba, and Bytedance.
New legislation in China governs how Internet platform companies must protect user data. They must reveal, among other things, the techniques they employ to track user behavior, how they gather and use user data, and the extent to which they secure user consent.
On March 1st, 2022, China implemented a new regulation that governs the “administration of algorithm recommendations for Internet information services.” This aims to increase citizens’ understanding of algorithms.
30 algorithms employed by several well-known Chinese apps are included in the list the CAC provided in Chinese. These include the short message service Wechat from the company Tencent (which, among other things, offers a widely used payment function), the search engine app Baidu from the company of the same name, and Douyin, the China-based equivalent of Tiktok from the company Bytedance. Taobao is an online marketplace from Alibaba that is similar to eBay for private individuals. There will be ongoing additions to the list.
The designations and descriptions of the algorithms in the published paper provide a succinct explanation of their functions together with pertinent data protection information. For instance, the “search filter” in the Baidu app is intended to weed out anything that might be illegal, divulge personal information, or pose a security risk. The recommendation system on Taobao presents products and services that might be of interest to the user based on their activity and search history when key milestones (such as the home page, shopping, and completion of purchase) are reached. Similar algorithms are used on Wechat to provide users with posts, photos, and videos depending on their browsing history, viewing preferences, and public accounts they follow.