Pre-installed system apps on Android phones from three popular Chinese vendors, as well as third-party apps, are reportedly transmitting personal user information without notification or consent.

Researchers at universities in the United Kingdom examined the Chinese version of the Android OS distributions run by Xiaomi, Realme and OnePlus headsets, experimenting with a number of devices.

The arXiv paper's authors measured the network traffic generated by handsets when in use, using static and dynamic code analysis techniques to look at the data transmitted by the reinstalled system apps.

"We find that these devices come bundled with a number of third-party applications, some of which are granted dangerous runtime permissions by default without user consent, and transmit traffic containing a broad range of geolocation, user-profile and social relationships [personally identifiable information] to both phone vendors and third-party domains, without notifying the user or offering the choice to opt-out," the research showed.

The packages transmitted to many third-party domains contain privacy-sensitive information related to devices, including GPS coordinates, network-related identifiers, phone numbers, app usage data and call histories. Comparatively, data shared by the Global version of the firmware was found to be mostly limited to device-specific information, which the computer scientists said sheds light on differences in privacy provision enforcement across separate regions.

Notably, the collection does not stop once the device and user leave China, despite the fact that different countries have different privacy laws. Furthermore, data was found to be sent to mobile operators even when they were not providing service.

"This poses serious deanonymization and tracking risks that extend outside China when the user leaves the country, and calls for a more rigorous enforcement of the recently adopted data privacy legislation," the study said. The findings, the authors wrote, highlight the need for tighter privacy curbs to "increase the ordinary people’s trust in technology companies, many of which are partially state-owned."

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/android-phones-china-transmit-personal-info-without-consent-researchers

You get what you pay for.

Hmmm! So Nigerians lie naked in China.

Raskimonojendor:
You get what you pay for.

True that.

adamusuleiman3:
Pre-installed system apps on Android phones from three popular Chinese vendors, as well as third-party apps, are reportedly transmitting personal user information without notification or consent.

Researchers at universities in the United Kingdom examined the Chinese version of the Android OS distributions run by Xiaomi, Realme and OnePlus headsets, experimenting with a number of devices.

The arXiv paper's authors measured the network traffic generated by handsets when in use, using static and dynamic code analysis techniques to look at the data transmitted by the reinstalled system apps.

"We find that these devices come bundled with a number of third-party applications, some of which are granted dangerous runtime permissions by default without user consent, and transmit traffic containing a broad range of geolocation, user-profile and social relationships [personally identifiable information] to both phone vendors and third-party domains, without notifying the user or offering the choice to opt-out," the research showed.

The packages transmitted to many third-party domains contain privacy-sensitive information related to devices, including GPS coordinates, network-related identifiers, phone numbers, app usage data and call histories. Comparatively, data shared by the Global version of the firmware was found to be mostly limited to device-specific information, which the computer scientists said sheds light on differences in privacy provision enforcement across separate regions.

Notably, the collection does not stop once the device and user leave China, despite the fact that different countries have different privacy laws. Furthermore, data was found to be sent to mobile operators even when they were not providing service.

"This poses serious deanonymization and tracking risks that extend outside China when the user leaves the country, and calls for a more rigorous enforcement of the recently adopted data privacy legislation," the study said. The findings, the authors wrote, highlight the need for tighter privacy curbs to "increase the ordinary people’s trust in technology companies, many of which are partially state-owned."

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/android-phones-china-transmit-personal-info-without-consent-researchers

Gosh! That is too much information leaking out to mobile operators or third-party sources.

Every smart phone tracks location and transmits information, not just only the Chinese ones.Even your icloud pictures in your iPhone can be accessed by apple without consent . This report is just to tarnish the image of Chinese technology, Americans can’t just play fair in anything , they will always come up with some propaganda against their competitors using their Media as a weapon
The Chinese are mainly iPhone users, their govt is not warning their people not to, Teslas are everywhere on their roads even though teslas uses a real time camera technology.The Russians still uses windows software, Hp and dell computers, and they are not stopping people from using them

Chai the world is not a save place

Android phone from China is not anyway different from any other Android phone…
The OS is Google (America)
The only way it can transmit your data is if google allows it.
Stop trying to spoil China’s name and their brand.
Like iPhone, Tesla , puma and every other big brand are 75% product of China.
I don’t use android either…. But let’s stop this.

Fox forgot to add that the people that have been caught mass surveilling the entire world twice is the US. With incontrovertible evidence from Edward Snowden and the recent pentagon leaks. But somehow, it’s china that uses an OS from same US we should be wary of

Abeg, as if Google and Co, take your information with your consent.
The day you register on Apple or Android App, your personal details belong to FBI and CIA even if you are not USA citizens, why do you think Russia government before the war, ordered Google and Apple not to leave Russians users data to USA.
Reason Chinese government have her own Apple store and Play store which are diff from the rest of the world.

USA monitors everyone as long as you are registered on the internet