Basic Security Requirements for Smartphone Pre-installed Apps in China - Lexology

On October 9, 2022, TC260 of China issued the Information Security Technology – Basic Security Requirements for Pre-installed App of Smartphones for nationalist remark ending December 6, 2022 (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines are applicable to smartphone manufacturers and besides supply notation to applicable regulators and third-party assessments.

From the position of the Guidelines, the Apps installed connected smartphones could beryllium divided into 2 types: (1) applications that are pre-installed by smartphone manufacturers oregon by smartphone manufacturers and their partners, specified arsenic mobile app providers, earlier smartphones are retired of the factory; and (2) the third-party pre-installed applications that are pre-installed by entities different than smartphone manufacturers.

In general, uninstallation of pre-installed applications indispensable beryllium made disposable to customers. However, the pre-installed applications that straight enactment strategy operations oregon instrumentality the necessary, basal functions of smartphones whitethorn not beryllium uninstalled by users, specified arsenic apps for strategy settings, papers management, telephone calls, multimedia recording, substance message, code book, browsers and the app store.

In addition, the Guidelines besides supply the method information requirements for pre-installed applications from the perspectives of uninstallation security, information relation and safeguarding of idiosyncratic information. The Guidelines besides code information absorption for third-party pre-installed applications (including reappraisal of third-party information capabilities and idiosyncratic accusation security) and requirements for nationalist announcement connected the information accusation of pre-installed applications.