Didi Resumes New Registrations As Chinese Authorities Ease Tech Crackdown
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is once again accepting new user registrations, marking an end to a year-and-a-half-long regulatory ban.
“With the consent of the Cyber Security Review Office, new user registrations in the Didi Chuxing app will resume immediately,” the company announced on social media on Monday, 16 January.
“Over the past year or so, we have carefully cooperated with the cybersecurity review, taken the security issues found in the review seriously and carried out comprehensive rectification.”
Didi also promised to take "effective measures" to protect its facilities and data as well as maintain national network security.
Didi, which raised an initial public offering of US$4.4 billion, was forced to delist from the New York Stock Exchange in June last year after Chinese internet regulators launched an investigation of the company's data practices and handling of personal data.
The Beijing-based tech group was later fined by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) more than eight billion yuan for "serious" breaches of the country's data security regulations.
Didi's apps were also taken down from domestic app stores, which meant they could no longer be downloaded and installed on users' devices. The group suspended new registrations on its ride-hailing platform soon after.
The latest development, however, could mean the group's ride-hailing apps are returning soon, though, as of writing, they're said to be still unavailable.
It also reflects a major shift in the Chinese government's stance on regulatory scrutiny of the tech sector as it now attempts to revive the country's economy. In December, President Xi Jinping reportedly called on China's Big Tech to lead economic growth at the conclusion of the two-day Central Economic Work Conference. There, Chinese leadership also affirmed its support for the digital economy to create new jobs and foster international competition.
Didi’s resumption of new registrations comes amid a new round of layoffs affecting hundreds of jobs. The group made cuts in almost every department, including ride-hailing and overseas business, with China’s zero-COVID policies and lockdown measures driving consumer spending down.
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing is once again accepting new user registrations, marking an end to a year-and-a-half-long regulatory ban.
The Beijing-based tech group's apps were taken down from domestic app stores after an investigation by the CAC found that it breached a number of China's security regulations.
The resumption of new registrations could mean the group's apps are returning soon, though, as of writing, they're still unavailable.