Users urged to 'throw away' Chinese smartphones over spying fears

Date:
Wed, 22 Sep 2021 14:51:36 +0000

Description:
Lithuanian government says issue could be global, with Xiaomi singled out for criticism.

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The Lithuanian government is urging citizens not to buy smartphones from Chinese manufacturers and to dispose of any they have in their possession, with Xiaomi singled out for particular criticism.

A report from the Lithuanian Defence Ministry's National Cyber Security
Centre tested devices from several vendors and found that the Xiaomi Mi 10T
5G had in-built censorship capabilities.

As many as 449 terms, such as Free Tibet, Long live Taiwan independence or democracy movement can be detected by the system and censored from Xiaomis phone system applications, including the browser. What is 5G ? Everything you need to know These are the best business SIM-only deals around today And the best business broadband deals Global smartphone sales

Officials added that the feature had been switched off for users in the European Union but could be switched on remotely, if required. The report
also found that the device in question was sending encrypted data to a server in Singapore.

Xiaomi has grown to become the worlds second biggest smartphone manufacturer after Samsung, leapfrogging Apple in the process, benefiting from a wider market recovery and the struggles of Huawei. The claims threaten to undermine efforts to secure a larger share of the European market.

"This is important not only to Lithuania but to all countries which use
Xiaomi equipment," the report said. Xiaomi hits back

Xiaomi denied the allegations in a statement to TechRadar Pro.

"Xiaomis devices do not censor communications to or from its users," said a company spokesperson. "Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block any personal behaviours of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software.

"Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users. Xiaomi complies with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)."

The centre also found an alleged flaw in Huaweis P40 5G device that directed users to malicious applications, however a 5G device from OnePlus was found
to have no problems. Huawei told the BBC that it abided by the laws and regulations in any country and that cybersecurity was a priority for the company.

The publication of the report comes amid diplomatic tension between Lithuania and China after Taiwan announced that its diplomatic mission in the Baltic nation would be called the Taiwan Representative Office. Such missions, which are effectively embassies, are usually named after the capital Taipei,
because of Chinas claim on the island. These are the best 5G phones available today

Via BBC



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/users-urged-to-throw-away-chinese-smartphones-o ver-spying-fears/


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