{"id":1961,"date":"2021-01-07T19:31:54","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T19:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.com\/south-africa\/?p=1961"},"modified":"2021-01-07T16:53:05","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T16:53:05","slug":"chinese-web-firms-accused-of-bullying-customers-with-data-and-algorithms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/chinese-web-firms-accused-of-bullying-customers-with-data-and-algorithms","title":{"rendered":"Chinese web firms accused of ‘bullying’ customers with data and algorithms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press<\/a> – South-Africa<\/a>. <\/strong><\/span>Beijing – Chinese internet companies have been violating customers’ rights by misusing personal data and “bullying” people into purchases and promotions, a government-backed consumer association said on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The statement from the China Consumers Association (CCA) did not name any companies, but comes as Beijing has ramped up scrutiny of technology giants, reversing a once laissez-faire approach towards its vast internet space.<\/p>\n

“Consumers are being squeezed by data algorithms and becoming the targets of technical bullying,” the association said.<\/p>\n

Companies must stop using systems to scan through consumers’ personal data and offer them different prices for goods based on that information, the association said.<\/p>\n

Algorithms that checked people’s internet use and other data, then sent them targeted ads and promotions, deprived customers of choice, it added.<\/p>\n

Some of the products and services promoted by these automated systems “violated the law and public order and good customs” it said, without going into further detail.<\/p>\n

Consumers’ “values and moral concepts may even be distorted by algorithms and become ‘playthings’ in the hands of platform operators,” the CCA’s statement said.<\/p>\n

Beijing issued draft rules in December aimed at preventing monopolistic behaviour by internet companies, marking China’s first serious regulatory move against the sector.<\/p>\n

China also warned its internet giants to brace for increased scrutiny, as it slapped fines and announced investigations into deals involving Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings .<\/p>\n

Chinese state media have become increasingly vocal about infringement of consumer rights by tech companies.<\/p>\n

In September, the state broadcaster published the results of a poll which showed that 75% of respondents believed they had been treated unfairly when they made purchases online.<\/p>\n

Reuters<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – South-Africa. Beijing – Chinese internet companies have been violating customers’ rights by misusing personal data and “bullying” people into purchases and promotions, a government-backed consumer association said on Thursday. The statement from the China Consumers Association (CCA) did not name any companies, but comes as Beijing has ramped up scrutiny of technology giants, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":1960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,9],"tags":[274,315,275],"class_list":["post-1961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-homepage-english","category-miscellaneous","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-south-africa","tag-south-africa-2"],"yoast_head":"\nChinese web firms accused of 'bullying' customers with data and algorithms - South Africa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Beijing - Chinese internet companies have been violating customers' rights by misusing personal data and "bullying" peop ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/south-africa\/all-news\/chinese-web-firms-accused-of-bullying-customers-with-data-and-algorithms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chinese web firms accused of 'bullying' customers with data and algorithms\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Beijing - 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