File Photo:Xinhua

China announced on Sunday the first batch of 18 mobile apps that meet the requirements for security certification regarding personal information security.

The first batch includes Cloud QuickPass, Suning.com, China Mobile and Baidu Maps.

The certification program was introduced after the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Central Cyberspace Administration of China jointly issued the Announcement on Carrying out App Security Certification Work in March 2019. 

As of June, the China Cyber Security Review Technology and Certification Center (CCRC), the main body responsible for the verification work, had reviewed 28 apps from various companies of which 18 passed the review after technical and on-site verification.

The aim of building a security certification program for mobile apps is to create a market standard for app operators on collecting, using and transferring personal information, according to Wei Hao, director of the CCRC.

It is expected that the app security certification program will be used as a normalized mechanism in regulating and rectifying the mobile app industry.

The certificated apps will face ongoing autonomous and intelligent monitoring by the center and will be open to supervision from internet users, Wei said.