The Chinese government faces often contradictory demands with relation to air pollution data. Whilst the authorities need data in order to pursue polluters, they also need to ensure that data available to the public is not inaccurate, does not contradict official findings and does not fuel unrest. In winter, the government ordered mobile apps to drop data provided by the US Embassy. The Air Matters app, which has nine million subscribers, has also been criticised. Analysts believe third-party monitoring of services will be the next challenging area in the country.
The Chinese government faces often contradictory demands with relation to air pollution data. Whilst the authorities need data in order to pursue polluters, they also need to ensure that data available to the public is not inaccurate, does not contradict official findings and does not fuel unrest. In 2014, the government ordered mobile apps to drop data provided by the US Embassy. The Air Matters app, which has nine million subscribers, has also been criticised. Analysts believe third-party monitoring of services will be the next challenging area in the country.