China's cyber regulatory bodyissued on Wednesday draft rules governing mobile apps, includinga requirement for security reviews of apps whose functions couldinfluence public opinion.

The proposed regulations are part of a campaign run by theCyberspace Administration of China (CAC) over the past year toincrease oversight of the country's tech companies.

The public has been invited to give feedback on the draftrules by Jan. 20.

Proposals

The proposals will require application providers to carryout a security assessment before launching "new technologies,new applications, and new functions" capable of influencingopinion or mobilising the public.

The CAC did not specify any specific apps or outline thesecurity assessment process other than to say it should becarried out in accordance with national regulations.

The proposed rules would apply to "text, picture, voice,video and other information production", as well as instantmessaging, news dissemination, forum communities, livestreaming,and e-commerce, the regulator said.

The regulator added that mobile app providers must not conduct activities that endanger national security, or forceusers to share non-essential personal information.

News apps must obtain licenses granting permission to publish news, it said.

Over the past year, Chinese authorities have tightened regulations across a number of industries, ranging from gamingto real estate to education.

The CAC has led a number of initiatives targeting thecountry's tech sector.

On Tuesday, CAC announced it would implement two new rules.One rule requires platform companies with over 1 million users to undergo security assessments before listing overseas, whichwould take effect in February. The other rule governs companies'use of recommendation algorithms, which would take effect in March.

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