China intensifies cybersecurity and digital regulation enforcement

Chinese authorities are intensifying regulatory actions across cybersecurity, consumer rights, and internet crime. As part of the ‘Hu Wang—2026’ special operation, the Ministry of Public Security has focused on strengthening cyberspace governance, addressing data security risks, and investigating administrative cases involving the failure to protect personal information.

In a related crackdown on internet-based extortion, police have exposed several criminal groups using social media to publish negative content about companies to demand money. These cases include groups in Shanxi and Shandong that used fake negative posts or staged ‘accident’ videos to blackmail businesses.

On the consumer protection front, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration, and the State Administration for Market Regulation have formed a joint investigation team to look into reports of brake pedal bracket breakage in Maextro V800 vehicles.

Additionally, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has identified 17 apps and SDKs that violated user rights by illegally collecting personal information or failing to provide proper information windows, as part of a broader series of actions to protect individual privacy.