Mobile app providers must fulfill "six obligations" when operating in China, including enforcing real-name registration and preserving records of their users' activity for at least two months, the Cyberspace Administration of China said yesterday.

A new regulation states that providers must first verify users' identities by requiring mobile phone numbers or other information. They must also protect users' information and cannot use it without consent.

The regulation, which takes effect on August 1, also says providers must improve their censorship and punish anyone releasing illicit information by warnings, suspension of service or shutting down accounts. Under Chinese law, online rumormongers and those who promote extremism or terrorism can face prison sentences.

App providers must also inform users of their rights and are forbidden from collecting information on their location and contacts.

Under the fifth obligation, providers are banned from pirating rivals' products.

Lastly, they are asked to record user logs and preserve the information for at least 60 days.

"The regulation was enacted after substantial field research and soliciting public opinion ... and is aimed at regulating app services and promoting the industry's healthy development," the CAC said in a statement.

By the end of last year there were 619 million people using mobile Internet services in China, more than 90 percent of all those with access to the Internet.

More than 4 million apps are available from domestic app stores, and the number is increasing rapidly.

"Some apps have been used for spreading violence, terrorism, pornography and rumors, while some apps are violating users' privacy and cheating money from them," according to the CAC.

The app stores should also shoulder "management responsibilities," according to the regulation. They must review providers' legitimacy and urge them to protect user information and respect intellectual property rights.

Stores should also censor apps to ensure they do not contain illegal content or functions, the regulation said.

It also encourages government and Party authorities to make use of mobile apps to improve their services and increase transparency.

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