Tencent will once again be able to update a number of its applications in China. The company managed to reach an agreement with the authorities three weeks after the ban was issued. However, it is unclear whether the restriction on the release of new mobile products will remain valid.The decision was made by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the South China Morning Post reports.
The list of newly approved applications includes QQ Music and WeCom, the corporate version of WeChat. Their new versions have already appeared in the Chinese App Store. According to an anonymous source from Tencent, the company will now also be able to release updates for several more games. Which ones are unknown.
At the end of November, MIIT issued Tencent a temporary ban not only on updating its applications, but also on the release of new products. The ministry’s decision was due to the fact that the Chinese technology giant allegedly violates the interests of users. Perhaps it was about an insufficient level of personal data protection.
To date, Tencent operates more than 70 applications. There are also over 100 mobile games in its catalog. At the same time, it is still unclear whether the company will have problems launching new projects in the country. There is a possibility that the local authorities will now carefully check its products.
Over the past few months, the Chinese authorities have tightened control over the local gaming industry. According to the latest data, the same strict rules will be applied to games as to movies. As analyst Daniel Ahmad noted at the end of September, the Chinese government is now trying to close the last loopholes for developers. Circumventing existing and new restrictions will become more difficult, and large companies will face even closer control.