Xiaomi, OnePlus and realme smartphones collect and transmit information regardless of privacy settings

Xiaomi could be caught up in a scandal after a study emerged alleging that Chinese smartphones are collecting data and transmitting users' personal data.

Here's What We Know

Researchers from several universities have learned that smartphones from realme, Xiaomi and OnePlus collect sensitive data through pre-installed software. The data is not only transmitted to the manufacturers, but also to partners. In particular, Baidu and Chinese mobile operators are mentioned.

Personal data is collected without notifying users and regardless of the privacy settings selected. The information collected includes IMEI, MAC addresses, geolocation, phonebook numbers and media files from messengers.

At the moment, these are only smartphones sold on the market in the Middle Kingdom and running a Chinese version of the software. Software products that collect confidential information are pre-installed and cannot be removed.

Source: Gizmodo