A recent study warns that Android smartphones from Chinese smartphone brands come preloaded with privacy-invading apps.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) and Trinity University (Germany) conducted an in-depth analysis of the flagship phones of Xiaomi, Oppo Realme, and OnePlus. These are the leading smartphone brands in China and are quite famous on a global scale.
Research published on the arxiv platform shows that pre-installed apps send large amounts of personally identifiable information to Chinese mobile network operators and device vendors. Continuously collected data includes device and location identifiers, user profiles, and social connections.
In recent years, Chinese smartphone brands have captured a larger share of the global market, with new models and powerful configurations at affordable prices. In the report, the researchers call for tighter privacy controls to increase users’ trust in technology companies, noting that many are partly state-owned.
The report says smartphones sold in China have 3 to 4 times more pre-installed third-party apps, and 8 to 10 times more permissions than phones distributed in other countries. other.
The list of suspicious apps includes navigation and input, news apps, video streaming, and online shopping included in the firmware in China.