Chinese consumer right group sues Baidu for "snooping"

A consumer right group has brought Chinese tech firm Baidu to court accusing its two apps "snooping on consumers' personal information," according to the court source.

View of the headquarter of Chinese internet search engine Baidu in Bejing, China, 17 August 2017. [Photo: IC]

The Nanjing Intermediate People's Court in east China's Jiangsu Province confirmed on Monday that it has accepted a lawsuit filed by the Jiangsu provincial consumer rights protection committee.

The committee accused the Beijing Baidu Netcom Science and Technology Co. Ltd. of ignoring an instruction to remove some functionality from Baidu Mobile and Baidu Browser apps which monitor users' contacts and activity.

The committee began an investigation in July last year into "snooping" by 27 app developers. The other 26 firms all took measures to remove or optimize functions to adhere to the committee's instructions.

Such application violates consumers' rights by leaking their personal information, often directly resulting in telemarketing calls and telecom fraud, the committee said.

The committee's suit states that collection and use of consumers information must comply with laws on consumer protection and Internet security.