Chinese-made smartphone Redmi Note allegedly
connects automatically to a mainland
Chinese server unbeknownst to users, prompting various concerns regarding
personal information being leaked to the communist government.
This
was revealed in a Hong Kong cellphone forum.
The
phone is part of a line of smartphones launched by Xiaomi Inc., the largest
privately owned mainland Chinese electronics company. Headquartered in Beijing,
Xiaomi itself designs, develops and sells smartphones, mobile apps and consumer
electronics.
Hong
Kong cellphone discussion forum IMA-Mobile user Kenny Li said that when the
Redmi Note was in Wi-Fi mode, it would connect to a server with an IP address
based in mainland China without notifying its user. After connecting to the
Chinese server, the phone will upload photos, chat messages and information
from the user.
Li said
he discovered that even after removing the default software installed by
Xiaomi, the Redmi Note would continue the automatic connection and the file
uploads.
Reportedly,
Li's findings have become a widely debated topic in Taiwanese forums. Taiwanese
netizens allegedly attributed the problem to Xiaomi's built-in cloud service,
stating that it was not surprising for Chinese-made products to be filled with
glitches. However, some netizens also rebuffed the comments, stating that it
was suspicious that the Redmi Note would continue to upload files even after a
software reinstallation and replacement.
During
the public announcement for Xiaomi new smartphone Xiaomi 4, the company addressed
and responded to the recent discussions of the Redmi Note's automatic upload
function, which connects to a Chinese server.
The
company cited its users' agreement policy, stated that no invasion of privacy
has ever occurred in their service and said that the alleged user information
infringement is false and untrue.
Xiaomi
did not, however, dismiss the automatic connection and upload feature and said
that Redmi Note does not upload personal information from its users but only
calculations of the user's personal preferences so that the company can send
appropriate upgrade and app recommendations to their users so as to improve
customer service.
The
company also said that all phones come with automatic back-up and cloud
features disabled, and they will only perform the functions with users'
consent. Backed-up information will also not be used by the company or against
the user, the company said.
In
hopes of further guaranteeing the company's product safety, Xiaomi said that
all of their services are in compliance with the privacy laws of the countries
in which their products are sold. Complex encryptions and algorithms, the
company said, also protect the products themselves.
Chi-hao
James Lo
Business & Investment Opportunities
Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd (SBC) is incorporated
in Singapore since 1994.
No comments:
Post a Comment