In a bid to control data collected by tech firms, China has been reportedly enacting new laws and increasing oversight of platform companies. The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Sunday ordered app stores to remove ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing, the most popular ride-hailing app in China, citing serious violations on the collection and usage of personal data, Bloomberg reported. No further elaboration was offered by the CAC. The decision came two days after the regulator started a cybersecurity review of the company and froze it from adding new users. Didi has been asked to make changes and comply with China’s data protection rules, the report added. The company collects vehicle mobility data for various reasons including improving autonomous driving technologies and traffic analysis. The new order requires companies like Apple, Huawei, and Xiaomi to remove Didi from their respective app stores, but users who already have the app on their phones can continue to use it. Didi offers over 20 million rides in China every day. Last Wednesday, Didi Global launched an initial public offering (IPO) in the US in which it raised about $4.4 billion dollars, giving it a market value of nearly $68 billion and making it the second-largest US listing by a Chinese company after Alibaba. The ride-hailing giant acquired Uber's China operation in 2016. The Chinese government is currently scrutinising Didi and other internet firms over issues ranging from antitrust to data security. "What started out as a government crackdown on anticompetitive practices among Chinese internet giants has grown into…
