Lithuania Bans Purchase Of Untrusted Phones, Xiaomi Becomes A Victim

Xiaomi is said to apply censorship to certain words in their browser. (photo; Chinaappa)

JAKARTA - The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense is drafting a law to prohibit state agencies from buying "untrustworthy" equipment. This comes after Lithuania discovered censorship features in the Chinese smartphone company's flagship phones, said Margiris Abukevicius, deputy minister at the Ministry of Defence.

In a report Tuesday, September 21, the Lithuanian National Cybersecurity Center said that the sensor capability in the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G mobile software has been turned off for the "EU region" but can be turned on remotely at any time.

A Xiaomi spokesperson said in a statement sent to Reuters on Wednesday that the device "does not censor communications to or from its users".

"The Ministry of Defense is now drafting a law to prohibit public institutions from procuring "unreliable" equipment, including smartphones, with a view to presenting it to parliament for debate later this year," Abukevicius told Reuters.

"It is very clear that the consequences of the law will be similar to the previous law on 5G equipment", he said.

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei also protested in May when Lithuania's parliament ruled that only equipment approved by the government on national security grounds could be used for the country's next-generation 5G network.

"This is not news that Lithuania has made a political decision to cooperate on technology with NATO and European Union countries, which are democratic and have the rule of law", Abukevicius said.

The National Cyber ​​Security Center report said terms potentially subject to censorship by Xiaomi's phone system apps, such as the default internet browser, include "Free Tibet", "Long live Taiwan independence" and "democracy movement."

Xiaomi Corp shares fell nearly 5% to HK$21.95 on Wednesday, its biggest daily percentage drop since July 27.

China last month asked Lithuania to recall its ambassador in Beijing and recall its envoy to Vilnius after Taiwan announced the opening of a diplomatic mission in Lithuania.

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.