The Lithuanian Defense Ministry urges you to "throw out" any Chinese smartphones. It advises that you avoid buying any smartphone made by Chinese companies, and to toss any existing ones because of the software they run. Research has shown that flagship Android phones made by Xiaomi, including some of the most popular ones, can remotely censor expressions of freedom for Tibet and Taiwanese independence. This is not the end of the story. This is normal for products that are sold in China, even though Apple and Google have to comply with Chinese regulators as necessary. We've seen that sometimes Western software from Chinese brands leaves tracking and censorship tools intact. VPN Deals: A lifetime license costs $16, and monthly plans cost $1. To be clear, we reached out directly to Xiaomi to verify that they had not committed any wrongdoing. "Xiaomi devices don't censor communications between or to its users," a spokesperson stated. Xiaomi has never restricted or blocked any of the personal behavior of its smartphone users. This includes searching, calling, and using third-party communication software. Xiaomi respects and protects all legal rights. Xiaomi adheres to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.
Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj/ Android Central
You don't need to throw out your new Xiaomi smartphone. This does however lead to more discussion about who owns the product after you purchase a smartphone. It's not you. You are now in the magical world of copyrights. You own the parts of the phone that you can hold in your hands when you buy it. You own the display. You own the chip. You can keep the camera lenses and sensors forever and ever. This is not worth any of it, not even a single piece. The software is only being leased to you. These companies may not care about how you use the product for which you have paid a license fee. You don't hear much about them beyond the right to repair motion. Like Google, Xiaomi wants you to love the product and buy another smartphone from them. Xiaomi pissing people off who purchase its smartphones is not a great way to get them to buy another one, or a fitness band, or a robot vacuum cleaner. You agree to use the software according to their terms when you set up a new smartphone. You agree that copyrighted works can be altered at any time, but not by the people we call updates.
