China sets up law to control application stores

Last Friday, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the regulator of the Chinese Internet, officially published the news on its site.
Now, application stores will be required to register with the Chinese government. This new law was designed with the aim of "protecting users".

This law, which was passed last year, takes effect today, Monday 16 January. This new regulation will allow for more control over some applications that tend to take advantage of the lack of security on application stores. It would also minimize the risk of disturbances against the national security of the country, consumers and social order.

Apple and Alibaba have their own application stores in China. Nevertheless, with Google Play being blocked, many third-party Android application stores have developed. While Apple and Alibaba have set up a regulation, these third-party stores are not. These are the ones covered by the new law, in particular, because they present more risks in terms of security.

If China puts forward this new law to protect Chinese consumers, according to the New York Times, it could also serve to have more control over information.