The Lithuanian government asked consumers not to use Chinese-made smartphones branded by Xiaomi and Huawei. This request was made because Chinese smartphones are considered security vulnerable and have sensor issues on certain devices.
Lithuania’s National Cyber Security Center claims they discovered a cybersecurity risk for devices made by Huawei and Xiaomi.
In addition, citing CBS News, Friday (9/24/2021), cyber experts in the Baltic country, said that there is a risk of restricting freedom of expression on Xiaomi phones.
According to them, Xiaomi smartphones feature content filters for 449 keywords or keyword groups in Chinese characters.
“they discovered a cybersecurity risk for devices made by Huawei and Xiaomi”
They claim that this function can be activated at any time and it is possible that words that use Latin characters can be added to the filter list.
Lithuania reports that apps that receive updated lists of censored words and phrases can block them. Such phrases include “Free Tibet,” “Voice of America,” “Democratic Movement,” and “Long Live Taiwan Independence.”
The agency which is under the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense also revealed that it had conducted an investigation on smartphones made by OnePlus, but did not find similar problems.
This prompted Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius on Wednesday this week to ask state institutions and the public not to use the Chinese cellphones.
“We strongly recommend that state agencies and the public do not use the tools and plan to initiate legislation regulating the procurement of certain tools for ministries and various state agencies.”
According to Abukevicius, more than 200 public authorities have purchased Chinese smartphones and more than 4,500 devices are in use. However, he did not specify the brand.
The Lithuanian National Cyber Security Center added that the advice is to ensure the safe use of 5G mobile devices sold in Lithuania and the software contained therein.
In addition, Abukevicius also said, “ordinary people should know what’s in this phone, about certain software and consider security before making a decision (to buy).”
(NFL)
