China's loan apps offer instant cash, but use personal data to harass

Hong Kong

BAI Shichao has a debt problem that is bigger than his pay cheque - and that's a problem for the rest of China too.

Mr Bai, a 30-year-old Beijing deliveryman, has borrowed heavily from China's growing ranks of online cash lenders. In a country that lacks reliable ways to tell who might be a good borrower, these lenders use artificial intelligence and odd personal data - such as tracking how fast prospective borrowers type on their phones - to determine who will pay them back.

With Mr Bai, …