Chinese tech giant Xiaomi has officially commented on the statements of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense about the presence of censorship in the company’s smartphones.
The day before, there were reports that the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense is advising users not to buy Chinese-made smartphones and get rid of existing devices from China. According to the Lithuanian cybersecurity agency, Xiaomi devices sold in Europe have a built-in ability to recognize and block certain phrases such as «Long live Taiwan independence» and «democracy movement.»
The company states that Xiaomi devices do not censor messages sent by users or text they enter:
Xiaomi has never and will never restrict or block the personal activities of the company’s smartphone users; such as searching, making calls, browsing the web, or using third-party communication software. Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users.
Xiaomi
In addition, the company emphasizes that it complies with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and third-party advertising filter capabilities on Xiaomi devices are not available in the EU and in any other jurisdiction where their use is against the law.