1. Laserdrome3's Avatar
    Since this topic often has come up here, I thought I would share with you that yesterday Germany's Federal Office of Information Security (BSI) after months of research didn't find reason of concern in various Xioami devices. BSI did an examination following accusations by Lithuanian Ministry of Defense that Xiaomi had installed some kind of word filters on phones for censorship purposes. BSI found neither these nor other malware. But they only analyzed Phones for the German market.

    So despite the limited scope, this still may be a hint that alleged CCP spyware on Chinese-branded smartphones may not be as a big a problem as sometimes claimed or feared here. Especially as the German domestic intelligence service names China as one of the four most relevant countries that spy on Germany. So following the logic of some here, it would make perfect sense to have Xiaomi phones for German markets preinstalled with spyware - yet there seems to be none.

    Primary source:
    https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/bsi-f...ecken-104.html

    BSI didn't make a press release yet obviously
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 02:25 AM
  2. i_plod_an_dr_void's Avatar
    No espionage, huh? You serious? Posting this on a BlackBerry fan site that picked up some of the pieces from Nortel Networks (Apple and Microsoft divided the rest of the spoils of its destruction) ....umm network switching devices? Chinese software workers in North American offices after hours photocopying reams of their supervisors inbox materials from decades ago? That all stopped did it? I've got Free Press Newspaper properties in Hong Kong to sell you.
    phuoc and bakron1 like this.
    01-15-22 02:55 AM
  3. spARTacus's Avatar
    No espionage, huh?...
    I don't think the OP was referring to what you are talking about.
    Tsepz_GP and boogywstew like this.
    01-15-22 06:38 AM
  4. Ph1llip's Avatar
    Since this topic often has come up here, I thought I would share with you that yesterday Germany's Federal Office of Information Security (BSI) after months of research didn't find reason of concern in various Xioami devices. BSI did an examination following accusations by Lithuanian Ministry of Defense that Xiaomi had installed some kind of word filters on phones for censorship purposes. BSI found neither these nor other malware. But they only analyzed Phones for the German market.

    So despite the limited scope, this still may be a hint that alleged CCP spyware on Chinese-branded smartphones may not be as a big a problem as sometimes claimed or feared here. Especially as the German domestic intelligence service names China as one of the four most relevant countries that spy on Germany. So following the logic of some here, it would make perfect sense to have Xiaomi phones for German markets preinstalled with spyware - yet there seems to be none.

    Primary source:
    https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/bsi-f...ecken-104.html

    BSI didn't make a press release yet obviously
    This is a multifaceted topic and your post is interesting. I would wait for a wider report from the BFV as opposed to BSI, BSI's remit relates only to the German government and not the country in general or German citizens.

    Having said that, it's always a matter of risk and if you can eliminate an obvious risk vector (Chinese company produced phones) with relative ease, then it's recommended not to buy Chinese company produced phones.

    On the flip side, your personal risk profile may not warrant such caution (for example, if you don't use the phone for sensitive use cases).

    If you are a government worker, have sensitive use cases or a PPI (Person of Public Interest), then you shouldn't use a Chinese company made phone regardless of what an agency reports. And you may already be enjoined by your employer/handlers to do so. Which is a good and prudent thing.
    dmlis likes this.
    01-15-22 07:08 AM
  5. anon(10512033)'s Avatar
    I have a Xiaomi Mi A1, purchased back in 2018 from a third-party seller on Amazon, which undoubtedly means it's a grey-market device. I bought it because it's an Android One phone, which makes it Nexus/Pixel-level easy to install custom ROMs.

    The phone has LineageOS on it and sees use as a small tablet from time to time. I still wonder what the underlying firmware does, but I wonder that about everything I own.

    And you know, maybe as an individual citizen it's better to have your data leaking to a distant regime than your local government...
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 07:16 AM
  6. spARTacus's Avatar
    ...by your...handlers ...
    I chuckled when reading that part.
    01-15-22 08:51 AM
  7. Laserdrome3's Avatar
    would wait for a wider report from the BFV as opposed to BSI, BSI's remit relates only to the German government and not the country in general or German citizens.
    I am not sure you're correct on that one: Among the tasks of BSI according to § 3 par. 1 No. 14a BSIG (law concerning the BSI) is the information of consumers on matters of information security.

    Can't argue with anything else you've said though.
    01-15-22 10:01 AM
  8. Ph1llip's Avatar
    I chuckled when reading that part.
    You never know, there may be prominent people posting here!
    01-15-22 10:49 AM
  9. Ph1llip's Avatar
    I am not sure you're correct on that one: Among the tasks of BSI according to § 3 par. 1 No. 14a BSIG (law concerning the BSI) is the information of consumers on matters of information security.

    Can't argue with anything else you've said though.
    Agree, but the "teeth" (to use a colloquialism) to prosecute these sorts of matters is usually with the BfV. But I'll defer to you as I'm not German!
    01-15-22 10:52 AM
  10. Tsepz_GP's Avatar
    I have come to a point of accepting that any and all devices that connect to the internet are not to be assumed to be secure and private in all honesty, including my precious iPhone lol.

    I have both a iPhone 11 Pro Max and Huawei Mate 40 Pro, Huawei being a Chinese OEM and Apple being an American manufacturer that is alleged to be in a VERY cozy relationship with that other government, lol.
    01-15-22 12:13 PM
  11. brookie229's Avatar
    I have come to a point of accepting that any and all devices that connect to the internet are not to be assumed to be secure and private in all honesty, including my precious iPhone lol.

    I have both a iPhone 11 Pro Max and Huawei Mate 40 Pro, Huawei being a Chinese OEM and Apple being an American manufacturer that is alleged to be in a VERY cozy relationship with that other government, lol.
    ^^^^ This
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 12:41 PM
  12. boogywstew's Avatar
    Gee ... who's worse? The Chinese or the home country of BlackBerry phones? It would seem the Canadian government is spying on 33 MILLION of it's own citizens through their cell phones. I wonder how many of those 33 MILLION cell phone users were using Chinese phones? This is breaking news.
    Last edited by boogywstew; 01-15-22 at 03:15 PM.
    Tsepz_GP likes this.
    01-15-22 02:12 PM
  13. dmlis's Avatar
    "BSI found neither these nor other malware. But they only analyzed Phones for the German market."

    I wonder about the size of the sample. How many phones did they check.
    01-15-22 02:19 PM
  14. Tsepz_GP's Avatar
    Gee ... who's worse? The Chinese or the home country of BlackBerry phones? It would seem the Canadian government is spying on 33 MILLION of it's own citizens through their cell phones. I wonder how many of those 33 MILLION cell phone users were using Chinese phones? This is breaking news.
    Funnily enough this speaks exactly to a point I made some years ago on this forum, I asked quite a number of times as to what the point is about speaking about data privacy when our mobile networks who carry the communications could be doing what they want with the data. All good and great for Apple, Google, Blackberry etc…to speak about “privacy” on their devices, but mobile networks are also a key component of ensuring that your data is safe and for a long time they have not at all been held accountable yet many of these mobile networks have ties to Big Data firms and programmatic advertising platforms.

    Verizon for example are part of Yahoo’s Gemini ad platform.

    Privacy is a farce we have been sold in mobile lol.
    bh7171 and boogywstew like this.
    01-15-22 03:08 PM
  15. boogywstew's Avatar
    My poor Unihertz Titan is looking better all the time! So far I've jump started my VW Cabriolet with it. I lost a headlight on my Dodge van and taped the Titan over it so I could drive home using the flashlight. I found out last night I could use the flashlight to tan myself. The Titan works to lay under my scissor jack and keep it from sinking in the asphalt when I change a tire.
    Tsepz_GP and JeepBB like this.
    01-15-22 03:24 PM
  16. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    My poor Unihertz Titan is looking better all the time! So far I've jump started my VW Cabriolet with it. I lost a headlight on my Dodge van and taped the Titan over it so I could drive home using the flashlight. I found out last night I could use the flashlight to tan myself. The Titan works to lay under my scissor jack and keep it from sinking in the asphalt when I change a tire.
    LMAO - i suspect that sooner than later someone will ultimately win a gold medal at some track and field event with a Titan or demonstrate act of self-defense with one.
    Tsepz_GP and boogywstew like this.
    01-15-22 03:34 PM
  17. SteinwayTransitCorp's Avatar
    LMAO - i suspect that sooner than later someone will ultimately win a gold medal at some track and field event with a Titan or demonstrate act of self-defense with one.
    First off the Titan was designed in case of the zombie apocalypse and it will save you. Two if all else fails you can use it as an emergency egress tool.
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 04:40 PM
  18. Chuck Finley69's Avatar
    First off the Titan was designed in case of the zombie apocalypse and it will save you. Two if all else fails you can use it as an emergency egress tool.
    I forget all the additional uses.....
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 04:41 PM
  19. SteinwayTransitCorp's Avatar
    I forget all the additional uses.....
    always glad to help
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 04:43 PM
  20. Ecm's Avatar
    always glad to help
    You both neglected the value of having one during hurricane season.
    boogywstew likes this.
    01-15-22 04:48 PM
  21. SteinwayTransitCorp's Avatar
    It can also be used as an emergency raft ! !
    JeepBB likes this.
    01-15-22 07:39 PM
  22. dmlis's Avatar

    And you know, maybe as an individual citizen it's better to have your data leaking to a distant regime than your local government...
    How distant is that distant regime? Beijing (Pyongyang, etc.) is just a few milliseconds "more distant" than the local government.
    And it's not just about the state vs state actions. Some of those "regimes" deploy IT weaponry for such mundane tasks as the self-enrichment of the selected state employees and/or companies. One does not need to be a government official or billionaire to become a target.
    01-16-22 03:34 PM

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