Belgium warns against the use of smartphones from Chinese brands
The Belgian State Security has issued a warning for the use of Chinese smartphones. This concerns devices from well-known Chinese brands such as OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi. Warning against espionage
Beware of Chinese smartphones
The number of smartphones sold by Chinese brands such as Oppo, Xiaomi and OnePlus is increasing rapidly. This is certainly the case since Huawei is no longer allowed to supply devices with Google services and as a result has seen its market share plummet. However, the Belgian State Security is sounding the alarm about this development. They are concerned about the risk of espionage. According to the Belgian intelligence service, there is a ‘systematic and profound mixing between that of companies and the Chinese government’, writes De Tijd.
According to the Belgians, the success of the Chinese brands also makes people interested in other products from the Chinese manufacturer. Although no concrete cases of espionage have yet been identified, the Belgian State Security advises to be vigilant. According to State Security, the interdependence of Chinese manufacturers with the Chinese government and its intelligence and security services is legally anchored. Employment positions must be reserved for personnel of intelligence services, De Tijd writes on the basis of information from State Security. Intelligence agencies must also have unfettered access to corporate IT systems. In addition, Xiaomi is already known to have stealthily collected user data and forwarded it to Chinese servers.
Xiaomi and OnePlus have not responded to the message from State Security. The Belgian spokesperson for Oppo has responded. His response is as follows; “Oppo is a privately held company and operates in more than 40 countries and regions around the world.” “We maintain positive relationships with the governments and regulatory authorities of the countries in which we operate. We operate in accordance with all local laws and regulations.”
There is little that can be done against possible espionage. Users can block the included system apps though; but very little can be done against espionage software in the management system. For example, there can always be a back door with a security update, according to Bart Preneel of the Computer Security and Industrial Cryptography (COSIC) research group at KU Leuven. There are virtually no hard facts available about possible espionage. It can also be stated that Apple and Google pose a risk for espionage.
