Privacy Policy
Tencent places utmost importance on its users’ privacy. Our basic principle is to value our users, and we are committed to providing you with more secure and reliable service based on the principle of transparency of data management, your control of data and the data security. By using or continuing to use our services, you consent to our processing of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
This Privacy Policy contains details of the following:
• Information We May Collect
• Our Purpose In Collecting Information
• Your Rights
This Privacy Policy is explained in plain language for your better understanding. We hope that you will read this Privacy Policy (this “Privacy Policy”) to understand how we collect and process information in order for you to further understand our services and to make appropriate selections.
Unless otherwise defined herein, the terms used in this Privacy policy shall have the same meanings as those defined in the Tencent Service Agreement.
Should you have any queries in relation to the above, please contact us.
1. Information We Collect
2. How We Collect Information
3. How We Use Information
4. Information You Share
5. Sensitive Personal Information You Share
6. How to Manage Your Own Personal Information
7. Information We Share
8. Emails and Information We May Send to You
9. Place and Period of Information Retention
10. Information Security
11. Advertisements
12. Protection of Minors
13. Application Scope
14. Contact Us
15. Amendments
1.Information We Collect
To provide you with better service, based on the principle of lawfulness, fairness and necessity, upon your consent, we will collect the following information in relation to you:
• Information you share with us
• Information you provide to us when registering an account.
For example, the nickname and phone number provided by you when registering a QQ or Weixin account.
• Information you share with us whilst using our services.
For example, your uploaded profile picture whilst using QQ or Weixin.
• Information provided by you via our customer service or whilst participating in our activities.
For example, the questionnaire you completed when participating in our online activities may include your name, contact number, home address or other related information.
• Other information you share with us.
• Information other users shared with us which may contain your information
For example, pictures uploaded by other users may contain your image.
• Information we may collect when you use our services
• Server logs data. We may automatically collect and store certain information to the service log when you use our services.
• Device Information. For example, device model, operating system version, unique device identifier, battery, signal strength, and other information.
• Software Information. For example, version of software and type of browser. To ensure the security of the operating environment or to provide the necessary services, we will collect information in relation to your usage of mobile applications and other software.
• IP Address.
• Data from service logs. For example, information collected when you use our services to search or view, crash logs information, recommended sites and other information.
• Data from communication logs. For example, the accounts you communicated with, the time and period of such communications when you use our services.
• Information contained in what you shared through our services (“Metadata”). For example, the date, time and/or location on the pictures you uploaded.
• Location data. We may collect your location data when you use the location-related services, in order to provide better service for you.
• We may collect your geographic location data via IP address, GPS, Wi-Fi, or base station when you use the services;
• Real time geographic location data provided by you or by other users when using the services. For example, the location data detailed in your account, or geographical indications contained in photos shared by you or other users;
If you want to stop sharing your location data, you may terminate the sharing of your location data by turning off the location service of your mobile phone or through other means provided by providers of software and hardware services and telecommunication services. We suggest that you read relevant guidelines carefully.
• Information from third-party partners
We may have cooperation with third-party partners. Therefore, we may obtain the information that is shared or generated when you use a third-party service. For example，when you log in a third-party service with your QQ account, we will know the name of such service and your log-in time so that it will be convenient for you to manage the authorization. Please read the third-party service user agreement or privacy policy carefully.
2. How We Collect Information
We or our third-party partners may collect your information by safe Cookies and related technologies in order to provide you with a more personalized user experience and service. We will strictly require third-parties to comply with the relevant provisions of this Privacy Policy.
You can manage Cookies through your browser settings. However, please note that if you disable Cookies, you may not be able to enjoy the best user experience in using our services, and some services may not function properly as well. If you would like to know more about the safety of Cookies, please see the “Cookies Policy Statement”.
3. How We Use Information
Subject to applicable laws and regulations, we may use the collected information in the following ways:
• To provide you with our services.
• To meet your personal needs. For example, language settings, location settings and other personalized services.
• To develop and optimize our service. For example, we will record and analyze the information generated when the system crashes, so as to further optimize our services.
• To ensure security. For example, we will use your information for identity authentication, safety precautions, anti-fraud monitoring, storage and backup, customer safety service and other applications. For example, the safety software downloaded or installed by you will detect malicious programs or viruses, or identify fraudulent information.
• To recommend to you ads, news, videos, etc. that you may be interested in.
• To evaluate and improve the effect of ads and other promotions in our services.
• To manage software. For example, software certification and software updates, etc.
• To include your participation in reviewing our product and services.
Subject to applicable laws and regulations, in order to provide you with a better user experience and to improve our services, upon your consent, we may apply the information collected from certain services to other services provided by us. For instance, we may apply information collected during your use of our certain services to provide you with tailored contents or to show you personalized information that you may be interested in, including but not limited to advertisement.
To ensure the security of our services, and to help us further understand the state of performance of our applications, we may record relevant information, for example, the frequency of your usage, crash logs data, overall usage, performance data and source of application. We do not link the information we store within the mobile analytics software to any personally identifiable information you submit within the mobile application.
4. Information You Share
Our services may allow you to share your information with your friends and family. In particular, our social media service is designed for you to share information in real-time and widely with users all over the world. For example, you can share texts and pictures publicly in your “Moments”, and also reply to other users’ uploaded or publicized information. You can delete the information you shared anytime, but please note such information may still have been retained independently by other users or unrelated third parties over which we have no control.
You will be able to manage the scope of shared information through privacy settings of our services. If you want to delete any relevant shared information, you may do so via the settings in our services or through our provided guidelines.
5. Sensitive Personal Information You Share
Certain personal information may be deemed as sensitive personal information, such as fingerprint, voiceprint, etc. Compared with other personal information, sensitive personal information is subject to stricter protection. Some of our services may require you to provide certain sensitive personal information to provide you with selected functions. Provided that you choose not to provide such information, you may not be able to use the selected functions of the services in the normal way, but it will not affect your use of other functions except the selected functions in our services.
Please note that the information or contents you shared when using our services may contain your sensitive personal information. You should therefore be cautious when disclosing your information.
You agree to have your sensitive personal information processed according to the purpose and measures described in this Privacy Policy.
6. How to Manage Your Own Personal Information
• You may access, amend and delete information provided by you during the registration of your account or other personal information when using our services, or contact us via the notice guidelines. The scope and way in which you access, amend or delete your personal information depend on the service you use.
• If you find that our collection or use of your personal information is not in accordance with the laws, administrative regulations or the agreement of both parties, you can require us to delete such information. If you find that we have wrongly collected and stored your personal information, you can also require us to correct it. Please contact us via the contact details listed in this Privacy Policy.
• For account security purposes, we may ask you to verify your identity before we allow you to access, amend and delete relevant information.
• Please understand that due to technical limitations, legal or regulatory requirements, we may not be able to meet all your requests. We endeavor to respond to your requests within a reasonable period of time.
7. Information We Share
We will not share your personal information with any third parties beyond our affiliates, except under the following circumstances:
• We may share your personal information with a third party with your consent;
• For the purpose of external processing, we may share your personal information with business partners (third party service providers, contractors, agents, advertising partners, application developers etc., for example, the telecommunication service providers who send out emails and push notifications on our behalf, or the map service providers who provide us with location data) (they may not be located in your jurisdiction), and require them to follow our instructions, the Privacy Policy and any other relevant confidentiality and security measures to handle the above information for us and for the purposes of:
• Providing you with our services;
• Implementing the purpose of the section “How We Use Information”;
• Performing our obligations and excising our rights as provided in the Tencent Service Agreement and this Privacy Policy;
• Understanding, maintaining and improving our services.
Should we share your personal information with any third parties mentioned above, we will use encryption, anonymization and other means to protect your information security.
• With the development of our business, we may be involved in mergers, acquisitions, asset transfer or other transactions. We will inform you of such circumstances, and continue to protect or require new controllers to continue to protect your personal information in accordance with the laws and regulations and the standard of protection which will not be lower than that under this Privacy Policy.
• We may make it public and share it with our partners the post-processed information that does not contain personally identifiable contents, to understand how users utilize our services or to enable the public to better understand the overall use of our services and other purposes.
• We may disclose your personal information due to the following reasons:
• To comply with the relevant laws and regulations;
• To comply with court decisions, rulings or other legal procedures;
• To comply with the requirements of relevant government agencies or other relevant authoritative agencies;
• We have reasons to believe that we need to comply with relevant laws and regulations;
• Reasonable and necessary purposes to implement relevant service agreements or this Privacy Policy, to protect public interest and to protect personal safety and property or other legitimate rights of our clients, ourselves or our affiliates/other users or employees.
8. Emails and Information We May Send to You
• Email and push notifications
When you use our services, we may send emails, text messages, news or push notifications to you. You may follow the relevant notice to unsubscribe on the device.
• Service announcements
We may send you announcements related to service if necessary (for example, the suspension of certain service due to system maintenance). You may not be able to cancel these non-promotional service-related announcements.
9. Place and Period of Information Retention
• Where we store information
In accordance with the requirements of the laws and regulations, users’ personal information collected within China will be stored within the territory of China.
In general, we will retain your personal information for a period of time necessary to fulfill the purpose of collection of such information. However, for the following purposes, we may retain your personal information for a longer period of time:
• To comply with the relevant laws and regulations;
• To comply with court decisions, rulings or other legal procedures;
• To comply with the requirements of relevant government agencies or other relevant authoritative agencies;
• We have reasons to believe that we need to comply with relevant laws and regulations;
• Reasonable and necessary purposes to implement relevant service agreements or this Privacy Policy, to protect public interest and to protect personal safety or property or other legitimate rights and interests of our clients, Tencent, our affiliates, users or employees.
Should the operation of our products or service terminate, we will inform you in the form of push notifications, announcements, etc., and delete or anonymize your personal information within a reasonable period of time.
10. Information Security
We strive to protect our users’ information against loss of information, improper use, unauthorized access or disclosure.
• We will work within the reasonable security standards and use a variety of security measures to protect the security of information. For example, we will use encryption technologies (such as TLS, SSL), anonymization and other means to protect your personal information.
• We have established a specialized management system, process and organization to ensure information security. For example, we strictly restrict the scope of personnel who can access information, and require them to comply with their confidentiality obligations and conduct audits.
• In the event of a breach of security incident of personal information leakage or others, we will activate emergency response plan to prevent the expansion of such security incident and inform you in the form of push notifications, public announcements ,etc..
11. Advertisements
We may use your information to provide you with more relevant advertisements on relevant sites, apps, and other channels.
You can manage or opt-out of the personalized advertisements you see based on the notifications we provide in the advertisements or the guidelines provided in a particular service.
12. Protection of Minors
We attach great importance to the protection of personal information of minors. In accordance with the relevant laws and regulations, if you are a minor under 18 years old, you would be required to obtain you parents’ or legal guardian’s written consent prior to using Tencent’s services. If you are the guardian of a minor and have queries in relation to your minors’ personal information, please contact us through the contact details provided in Section 14 below.
13. Application Scope
All of our services are subject to this Privacy Policy. However, some services have their own specific privacy policies that specifically describe how we process your information in the service. If this Privacy Policy is inconsistent with the privacy policy of a particular service, the privacy policy of that particular service shall prevail.
Please note this Privacy Policy is not applicable to services provided by other companies or individuals. For example:
• Third-party services accessed through our services;
• Third-party services containing our services.
Your use of such third party services or other services (including any personal information you provide to such third parties) is subject to the terms and privacy policy of such third parties services (rather than this Privacy Policy), and you need to read their terms carefully.
14. Contact Us
Should you have any enquiries in relation to this Privacy Policy or other related matters, please contact us via http://kf.qq.com. In accordance with the provided guidelines, you may also complete the relevant details and send your queries to Dataprivacy@tencent.com, or post it to the following mailing address:
Address: Tencent Legal Department- Data & Privacy Centre, Tencent Building, Science and Technology Park Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Postcode: 518057
We will review your queries and reply within 30 days after verifying your user identity.
15. Amendments
We may update and revise this Privacy Policy from time to time, and if such changes result in a substantial impairment of your rights under this Privacy policy, we will notify you by sending you an e-mail and by reminding you at prominent place on the webpage before the changes take effect. Under such circumstances, if you continue to use our services, you will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by the updated policy.
This Agreement is written in Chinese（http://www.qq.com/privacy.htm) and English. In the event of any conflict or discrepancy between the two aforementioned versions, the Chinese version shall prevail in determining the spirit, intent, and meaning of this Agreement.