Company: ZHIHF
Filing Date: 2025-04-15
Form Type: 20-F
Source: 0001410578-25-000729
Chunk: 133

Company: Zhihu Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-15
Form: 20-F
Item: Item 3
Chunk 133
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 Procuratorate on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Handling of Criminal Cases Involving Infringement of Personal Information, issued on May 8, 2017, becoming effective on June 1, 2017, clarify certain standards for the conviction and sentencing of the criminals in relation to personal information infringement. In addition, on May 28, 2020, the National People’s Congress adopted the PRC Civil Code, which came into effect on January 1, 2021. Pursuant to the PRC Civil Code, personal information of a natural person shall be protected by the law. Any organization or individual shall legally obtain personal information of others when necessary and ensure the safety of such information and shall not illegally collect, use, process or transmit personal information of others, or illegally purchase or sell, provide or make public personal information of others.

Table of Contents

The MIIT issued the Notice on the Further Special Rectification of App Infringing upon Users’ Personal Rights and Interests on July 22, 2020, which requires that certain conducts of app service providers should be inspected, including, among others, (i) collecting or using personal information without the user’s consent, collecting or using personal information beyond the necessary scope of providing services, and forcing users to receive advertisements; (ii) requesting user’s permission in a compulsory and frequent manner, or frequently launching third- parties apps; and (iii) deceiving and misleading users into downloading apps or providing personal information. It also sets forth that the period for the regulatory specific inspection on apps and that the MIIT will order the non-compliant entities to modify their business within five business days, or otherwise the MIIT will make public announcement, remove the apps from the app stores or impose other administrative penalties.

On June 1, 2021, the Law of the PRC on the Protection of Minors (2020 Revision), promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, became into effect, specifying stringent requirements for the protection of minors’ information.

On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Personal Information Protection Law, which became effective on November 1, 2021. The PRC Personal Information Protection Law sets out specific regulations for handling sensitive personal information which includes personal information that, if leaked or illegally used, may easily harm the dignity of individuals or grave harm to personal or property security, encompassing information related to bi