Briefing: JD Finance apologizes for app’s privacy breach

App自动保存用户图片 京东金融道歉功能存在技术问题 – Sina Tech

What happened: JD Finance’s customer service issued an apology over the weekend for the controversy surrounding a privacy issue within its Android app, which stored a screenshot of other apps in a folder on a user’s smartphone without authorization. JD Finance said that it is sorry for making such a “rudimentary mistake” and for hurting users’ trust in the company. The problematic function has been taken down.

Why it’s important: Chinese netizens are becoming increasingly aware of privacy issues with the websites they visit and the apps they use. Not only have numerous privacy breaches and data leaks occurred, but a large number of mobile apps available in China have also been found to collect an excessive amount of personal data, according to a report released in December. Authorities announced last month plans to deal with Chinese apps’ excessive collecting of personal information and data.

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