Alibaba and Tencent disclose algorithm information to Chinese regulators

16 Aug 2022 , 12:58 PM

According to China’s top internet watchdog, digital behemoths like Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group have provided information on the algorithms used in some of their products, complying with efforts by the government to strengthen oversight of platform algorithms.

The regulations are a part of Beijing’s extensive regulatory campaign against the country’s once-free-wheeling technology sector. Internet service providers were allegedly utilizing algorithms to compromise users’ privacy and influence their decisions, according to state media.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a list of 30 algorithms utilized in some of the most popular applications in the nation, including Taobao by Alibaba, Wechat by Tencent, Meituan, and Douyin by ByteDance, along with classification numbers and brief descriptions of how they are employed.

It was the first list that had been released since China established new rules for algorithm recommendation services in March and introduced a filing system that required businesses to reveal the algorithms they employed in their applications.