Didi, the popular ride-hailing service that was removed from app stores in China on July 4, 2021 due to "severe violations" of the Cybersecurity Law, stated on Monday that it now accepts new registrations and downloads following authorisation by the Cybersecurity Review Office of the Cyberspace Administration of China.
The action demonstrates that China has finished its years-long investigations into the world's largest ride-hailing company. It is believed that, with the deregulation, Chinese policymaker seek to rebuild public trust in the private sector and turn to the tech sector to boost the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Days after Didi's U.S. IPO in mid 2021, Chinese officials opened a cybersecurity inquiry into the company. Later, in July, the Cyberspace Administration of China charged Didi with improperly gathering user data, commanded the removal of its applications from app stores, and halted the creation of new user accounts "to protect national data security, the national security, and the public's interest."
The internet watchdog mandated that the software be removed from all Chinese mobile app stores and that the firm make the necessary changes in accordance with Chinese regulations in order to "protect the safety of users' personal information." Customers may still access Didi's service using already downloaded applications or its WeChat mini-program.