Xiaomi Denies That Their Cellphone Products Have A Built-in Sensor Feature Like Lithuania's Accusations

JAKARTA- Xiaomi Corp China said on Wednesday, September 22, that their device does not censor user communications. This they emphasized, a day after the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense recommended that consumers avoid Chinese phones because of the sensor features in the smartphone giant's flagship phone.

The sensor capabilities in the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G phone software have been turned off for the "EU region" but can be turned on remotely at any time, the Lithuanian National Cybersecurity Center said in a report on Tuesday.

In a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday, a Xiaomi spokesperson said the device actually "does not censor communications to or from its users".

"Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block the personal behavior of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, browsing the web, or the use of third-party communication software," the statement said.

"Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users," he added.

The Lithuanian National Cyber ​​Center report also said Xiaomi phones were sending encrypted phone usage data to servers in Singapore, which could be in contravention of European data regulations.

A Xiaomi spokesperson said: "Xiaomi complies with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation."

Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Margiris Abukevicius told Reuters the ministry shared its report with cybersecurity officials from other European Union countries and the United States on Wednesday.

According to the report, terms potentially censored by Xiaomi's phone system apps, such as the default internet browser, include "Free Tibet", "Long live Taiwan independence" and "democracy movement".

China last month demanded that Lithuania recall its ambassador in Beijing and said it would recall its envoy from Vilnius after Taiwan announced that its mission in Lithuania would be called the Taiwan Representative Office.

Taiwan's missions in Europe and the United States use the city's name Taipei, avoiding references to the island itself, which China claims as its own territory.

US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, last week stressed support for Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte in the face of pressure from China.