Lithuanian cybersecurity body has deemed Xiaomi smart phones unadvisable for use alleging that they contain a function able to censor phrases the Chinese Communist Party would see as unwelcome, British news portal The Guardian and Reuters news agency report.
«Our recommendation is to not buy new Chinese phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as fast as reasonably possible,» Lithuanian Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius said to reporters in introducing the report earlier this week.
Xiaomi Corp did not respond to a Reuters query for comment.
Flagship phones sold in Europe by China’s smartphone giant Xiaomi Corp have a built-in ability to detect and censor terms such as «free Tibet», «long live Taiwan independence» or «democracy movement», Lithuania’s state-run cybersecurity body said on Tuesday, September 21.
Read also: Washington sides with Lithuania in its discord with China on Taiwan representation
The capability in Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G phone software had been turned off for the European Union region, but can be turned on remotely at any time, the ministry’s national cybersecurity centre said in the report, according to The Guardian and Reuters.
Lithuanian institutions also spoke about their analysis of Huawei P40 5G and OnePlus 8T 5G. See more information about this on the web site of the Lithuanian National Defence Ministry.
Cybersecurity body in Lithuania finds Chinese smartphone equipped with censorship
