A report by IT Home revealed that the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), in collaboration with major tech companies such as Honor, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei, Ideal, Kuaishou, and others, has developed a new technical standard. This standard is titled – “Technical Requirements for Security Management and Use of Accessible Services,” and it has recently been approved by the technical committee of the Telecommunications Terminal Industry Association (TAF). In this article, we will understand what this standard is, why it is necessary, and how it will affect your smartphone and privacy.
In today’s era, AI-based services on smartphones—such as “ordering coffee with a voice command” or “booking a restaurant”—are becoming increasingly common. To provide these services, mobile apps require real-time access to your phone’s screen, interface, and user data. This access is obtained through accessibility services, which were originally designed to assist differently-abled users. However, nowadays, apps use these APIs to read information on your screen and even perform automatic actions on it. While this has increased convenience, it has also significantly raised concerns about privacy and data theft.
In light of these threats, CAICT and other companies have collaborated to develop this new regulation. Its main objective is to control and secure data access through accessibility services. Under this standard, a monitoring and control system has been created at both the application and system levels. On the application side, the regulation mandates that any app wanting to use accessibility services must first inform the user. The app must also specify which functions it is using the service for and will only be able to access the data that is genuinely necessary. Additionally, it will be mandatory to follow the “minimum necessary” policy during data collection.
On the system side, new technical features will be added to smartphones to allow identification of the application, prioritization of tasks, and monitoring of abnormal behavior. For instance, identity authentication will be required for every app to determine who is using the service. Also, an event distribution system will be developed to prevent apps from interfering with each other and to protect the integrity of the screen interface. Furthermore, a real-time auditing system will be implemented to monitor every suspicious activity.
The next step in this initiative is to implement it in new smartphones and sensitive AI services. Under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, CAICT will pilot these rules in collaboration with other companies and gradually expand their scope. The goal of this initiative is to create an AI ecosystem that is easy to use but also completely secure. This will benefit regular users, who will gain the confidence to use AI services without fear.
This entire standard makes it clear that the development of technology should not be limited to convenience alone; a balance between security and transparency is also essential. Initiatives like this in the world of AI and smartphones not only protect users’ rights but also guide the industry in a sustainable and trustworthy direction.