Xiaomi Responds to Lithuania’s Claim that Its Mobile Phones Have Built-In Censorship Capabilities
Lithuania’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the phones sold in Europe by Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi Company have built-in censorship functions to detect certain sensitive terms, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
In a report, Lithuania’s state-run cybersecurity body revealed the list of terms that Xiaomi‘s mobile phone system application may review, which currently includes 449 Chinese terms and is constantly updated.
The report also mentioned that the Xiaomi 10T series of 5G mobile phones have now turned off the review function for the European Union region, but they can reportedly be turned on remotely at any time.
Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius told Reuters, “Our recommendation is not to buy new Chinese mobile phones, and to get rid of those already purchased as soon as possible.”
In response, Xiaomi spokesman said to Chinese media outlet The Paper, “Xiaomi mobile phones do not censor the communication of its users. Xiaomi has never and will not restrict or intercept any personal behavior of mobile phone users, such as searching, making phone calls, browsing web pages and using third-party applications. Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legitimate rights and interests of all users. Xiaomi abides by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).”
