China’s Xiaomi Corp said on Wednesday that its devices do not censor users’ communications, a day after Lithuania’s defense ministry recommended that consumers avoid Chinese phones because of a censoring feature in its flagship smartphone.
The National Cyber Security Center said in a report on Tuesday that the censoring capability in Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G phone software has been turned off for the “EU region”, but can be turned on remotely at any time.
In a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday, a Xiaomi spokesperson said that its device “does not censor its communications to or from its users”.
“Xiaomi has never restricted or blocked any personal behavior of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software,” the statement said.
“Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users,” it added.
The National Cyber Center report also stated that the Xiaomi phone was sending encrypted phone usage data to a server in Singapore, which may be against European data rules.
A Xiaomi spokesperson said: “Xiaomi complies with the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union.”
Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukavicius told Reuters the ministry shared its report on Wednesday with cybersecurity officials from other European Union countries and the United States.
According to the report, the terms potentially subject to censorship by Xiaomi phone’s system apps, such as the default Internet browser, include “Free Tibet”, “Long Live Taiwan Independence” and “Democracy Movement”.
China last month demanded that Lithuania withdraw its ambassador to Beijing and said it would recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan announced that its mission in Lithuania would be called the Taiwanese Representative Office.
Taiwan’s missions in Europe and the United States use the name Taipei city, avoiding reference to the island, which China claims as its territory.
US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan last week insisted on backing Lithuania’s Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in the face of pressure from China.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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