Chinese phones are spying again - OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi

Somehow this scare story keeps popping up every year and it's only Chinese phones that keep coming up. So spying on Chinese phones like OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, Realmi etc.

Almost British scientists have discovered once again that Chinese phones are spying. New research from the University of Edinburgh and Trinity College Dublin has shed light on the fact that phones from Chinese brands such as OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, Realme and others are transmitting more data than we know.

Now, let me make it clear from the start that this research is only about Android devices sold in China, not in Europe or overseas. So it does NOT apply to devices sold in this country.

The phones in question are pre-installed with a significant number of system and vendor applications, which are enabled by default with questionable permissions. These apps actively collect and send sensitive information about the device, location, user profile and even social networking. Even for privacy-conscious users who opt out of analytics and do not use cloud storage or third-party services, the phone will continue to send unique information about the device and the user, such as device identifiers, GPS coordinates, app usage patterns, call and SMS history, and phone numbers. Unfortunately, users are not notified of this data transfer and there is no way to unsubscribe. The data collected can be easily linked back to the individual and used for tracking purposes.

It is worth noting that the Chinese versions have many more pre-installed third-party applications and eight to ten times more licenses than the international versions for consumers in Europe and other regions. Much of this may have to do with the international regulations and guidelines that guard these dangerous licences, but phones bought in China clearly do not comply with these laws.

As a final piece of advice, if you buy a Chinese Xiaomi or other brand phone, say from Aliexpress, start by wiping the Chinese system and replacing it with something custom or global Android. For Xiaomi / Redmi, it is highly recommended to upload the xiaomi.eu roms, not only because of the unnecessary bloatware free system, but also because it will have e.g. Hungarian language. If you buy at home, you don't have to worry about that, because only Google and Facebook are spying on you... :mrgreen: