Lithuania calls for quitting Chinese smartphones over security and censorship concerns

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Lithuania discouraged consumers from using Chinese mobile devices on Tuesday. It turns out that it has built-in censorship that compromises freedom of speech and the security of personal data.

It comes after the government on September 21st report To show the flagship phone sold by Chinese phone maker Xiaomi in Europe, there is a built-in remote control technology to detect and block sensitive terms without the user’s permission.

A survey conducted by the National Cyber ​​Security Center (NCSC) targets 5G smartphones made in China that have been locally supplied since 2020. Selected manufacturers include Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and China’s second-largest mobile phone maker Xiaomi.

Investigators have identified a list containing 449 Chinese terms from the Xiaomi device. It can be censored by default internet browsers such as “Free Tibet”, “Taiwan’s Longevity” and “Democratic Movement”.

According to NCSC, the keyword list was also updated regularly.

Meanwhile, the Xiaomi device was reportedly transferring encrypted data to a server in Singapore. A security flaw was also found in the Huawei 5G phone.

Epoch Times Photo
A 5G device made in China investigated by the National Cyber ​​Security Center in Lithuania. (Provided by NCSC under the Ministry of National Defense of Lithuania)

Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abkevicius, while presenting the report, advised consumers not to buy a new Chinese phone, but to drop what they had already purchased. To reporters..

“This is important not only for Lithuania, but for all countries that use Xiaomi equipment,” NCSC said in a report.

Xiaomi did not respond to the request for comment.

Rita Lee

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Rita Lee is a reporter for The Epoch Times, focusing on topics related to China. She started writing the Chinese version in 2018.

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