The Government Information Bureau (GCS) gave an assurance today that the newly launched "MSAR News" app does not collect personal private information from users' mobile phones and devices. In a statement, GCS said it was very concerned after a newspaper reported today that certain government departments' mobile apps might involve personal privacy issues. The GCS stressed that "MSAR News" does not collect any personal private information from its users' mobile phones, especially information that relates to phonebook, call records and GPS locations. "MSAR News", launched by the GCS on 4 April 2014, is a free one-way mobile app that enables mobile users to read official news and information on their portable devices in real time.
The mobile app only reads from users' mobile phones the version number, username and device token. No other personal private information from users' mobile phones, especially the phonebook, call records and GPS location data, is collected. When "MSAR News" is installed on an Android device, the phone system will alert its user that the mobile app may access certain attributes of the phone, but emphasised that the app will only read the user's identification data. The only purpose of reading such identification data is for statistical analysis of the brands, models and versions of the users' devices for reference in future upgrades of the mobile app and information services.
The GCS will incorporate a privacy policy statement into the terms and conditions for use of this mobile app and specify the kind of personal information that might be read. To further improve the app, the installation alert for Android versions will also be adjusted by deleting the items not to be collected. As more and more people use mobile phones and other mobile devices to access information, the GCS launched the "MSAR News" app on 4 April to provide real-time government news and photos, and local weather reports, with the aim to enhance public awareness and understanding of government policy and services. This app has rich content, comprising five main sections: "News", "Gallery", "News Features", "Hot News", and "Hot News Photos".
