BEIJING — Chinese authorities have started a campaign to crack down on apps illegally collecting and using personal information.

Jointly launched by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Public Security and State Administration for Market Regulation, the campaign targets illegal acts of apps uploading personal information without permission.

A special workgroup handled more than 12,000 tip-offs from netizens and checked over 2,300 apps last year. A total of 260 apps with large user bases and prominent problems were made public, reprimanded or removed from app stores, according to the CAC.

The CAC said rectification efforts this year will be expanded to include SDK and mini-apps.