Users and media recently reported that some websites force an app download when a page is opened. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s information and communications administration checked the reports and held an administrative guidance session with the internet companies involved.
The problem: as mobile internet has grown, some news and community sites pop up app recommendations constantly while a page is being read, require the app to view the full text, or block comments without the app — obstructing normal browsing and harming users’ interests.
The three lines
First, without the user’s consent or active choice, a page must not automatically or forcibly download an app. When recommending a download, the page must offer a clearly visible ‘cancel’ option, protecting the user’s right to know and to choose.
Second, with no legitimate reason, a site may not withhold the full text or the comments unless the user installs the app.
Third, sites may not use collapsed display, active pop-ups, repeated prompts or a degraded reading experience to push or mislead users into downloading or opening the app, or into jumping to an app store.
The companies at the session said they would self-inspect, correct the problems and operate within the rules. The administration will keep monitoring user reports, test apps, and press companies to protect user rights in practice.
For anyone publishing content on the mobile web, the guidance is easy to apply: a download prompt is fine, a wall is not, and the cancel button has to be real.
Republished for information. The original text has not been independently verified and does not necessarily reflect our views.
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