China’s Ride-Hailing Giant Didi Removed From App Stores Over Cybersecurity Investigation

On July 4, according to notice mandated by China’s Cyberspace Administration (CAC), ride-hailing giant “Didi Chuxing” app has serious violations of laws and regulations with its collecting and use of users’ personal information. App stores are to remove the Didi Chuxing app in compliance with China’s network security law. However, users who have downloaded the app can continue to use the company’s services.

The CAC had launched an investigation into Didi’s cybersecurity risks commencing July 2, under the provisions of National Security and Cybersecurity laws. The company had been banned from registering new users during the review period. As a company operating in over 4,000 cities and towns in 15 international markets, Didi collects vast amount of data from its ride-hailing and sharing services. In the 12 months ending March 31, 2021, Didi had 493 million global annual active users and 15 million global annual active drivers.