ARE Chinese Phones Collecting YOUR Data? Did anyone read the study?

[@heretic124]

OnePlus was caught twice in the past sending out data they shouldn't on phones with global ROMs. Been a while, sure, but that's why people are concerned.

[@jond4634]

Google will send any data to the US government and they can use it against you. If you don't live in China, even if they have your data, what on earth could they use it for?

[@GhastlyHunger]

The point isn't what has happened in the past, but rather tech blogs not fact checking by reading the actual study.

[@Dare2Blink]

Why would anyone care about that? If you are using android you can easily be spied on by the US goverment anyway. If oneplus sends sometimes data for advertising or for stats it will never effect you.

[@tymon1928]

​@@Dare2BlinkiPhone is not any different

[@MrMaximino92]

@@tymon1928as an iPhone user, I totally agree.

[@HenningGu]

As always, check the source and check the source's source

[@JimIBobIJones]

The risk - from a policy perspective - is that Chinese law is whatever the state wants it to be, so if the state asks the companies to put in spyware in an update they are legally obliged to. Are they likely to? That's the trillion $ question. Part of the problem is that the fear has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. China wants to make money in the west, its in its interest to make sure its exports are welcome - it was willing to play ball with western governments to ensure free access. For example, in the UK it funded an independent research institute to provide assurance that Huawei products sold were safe (including telecoms equipment as well as consumer products such as phones). But the west choosing to distance itself from China disincentivises this form of "win-win" engagement and incentivises China to be a bad actor: if its being locked out of markets, what's the incentive to play fair? The other part is that the current regime in China under Xi Jinping has de-prioritised economic growth and trade in favour of party control of the state and what it sees as stability. Some of that paranoia is justified on the part of western governments. China has shown its willing to punish even its economic champions who are unwilling to kow-tow to the party - just look at the defrocking of Jack Ma and alibaba. Just how long can the likes of Oneplus and Xiaomi/Oppo resist the will of the party?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

You wrote a lot there, but you're still overlooking the regulators where the phones will be sold. Chinese companies might do any of those things, and if those brands are caught, they'll lose the ability to sell in those regions. So far we have this study confirming the idea that stricter regulations work. Until we see good data to suggest the situation has changed, saying "china bad" is just speculation and FUD.

[@enkephalin07]

I don't think the CCP has any interest in me, but it does concern me that I may come into contact with someone who has reasons to take precautions to protect their privacy, and I could unwittingly expose them to CCP monitoring. Even if the risks are small, it's more than the CCP deserves. I plan to switch away from OnePlus, and this is just one of the reasons.

[@jessieneurotica7433]

i think using the term xenophobia is hardly fair in this case, as the issue is not with Chinese people, but instead with the Chinese government. i think it's perfectly reasonable to not trust an authoritarian regime such as the CCP. now rather you can trust Chinese manufacturers is a different debate entirely, as the article suggests, there isn't sufficient evidence to claim that the international versions of these devices are sending data to the Chinese government.

[@cedrikthibert7033]

Il is xenophobia disguised as so-called national security threat while US government says absolutely nothing about NSA illegaly spying on private citizens all the time. In spying and commercial espionnage USA takes first place because USA has the most advanced spying tools in the world. That doesn't mean the Communist Party doesn't spy, of course it does and so is every single government on this planet.. Democracies even spy on other Democracies. Every country seeks to get davantage on their competitor so singling out China as if it was the only one doing it is xenophobic.

[@geetmadan1991]

I haven't seen the coverage around oneplus harvesting data but it should be covered with a foot note saying oneplus is one of the few brands that allow for bootloader unlocks in the United States. If data collection is a concern, flash an AOSP rom. You could even skip Google play services and stay as secure as you want to with just FOSS platform apps.

[@jimmyjames4jesus]

What you just said, say it again for dumb dumbs like me, and how to learn how to do as suggested

[@zomt420]

You can do that with most xiaomi phones too

[@FableFrenzy]

What happens if data transfer is integrated on hardware level? I doubt flashing can even stop that.

[@Fe1538C]

Yes Global version is safer. Problem is "Chinese Phones Collecting?" that there is no way to answer: "NO, not at all." You would have to eavesdrop on what is being sent. Similar to that in the study. The study is from 2017 And still Global version sends some analytical data. Not to mention an update that can modify the behavior at any time. "In contrast, the data shared by the Global version of the firmware is mostly limited to device-specific information."

[@littlebadwolf8129]

A few years ago I bought a Huawei tablet and a Realme phone without any thought to these matters. Recently I became aware of these articles and got concerned, but I still kept using them for another year because I was fairly certain that having bought them from an EU country and living in an EU country keeps my data relatively safe even on them. I didn't even read the study, becausr it just seemed logical to me. Thank you for clarifying this and confirming my thought. Still, I went back to Samsung now that I updated my dangerously aged tablet. Would have gone back to it with my new phone too, but Motorola offered a much much better value deal when it comes to specs. Even came with a charger brick and a silicone case in the box, which is something most brands seem to have stopped doing. And it seems like a Motorola phone from EU market is literally the best choice for data security these days, what with the ThinkShield on the phones combined with little bloatware and EU data protection laws and regulations.I'm very happy with my new devices.

[@jpkingsbury]

Fantastic analysis and breakdown. Goes to show two things: 1. Never rely on the headlines. Read the study yourself! 2. Reading compression matters lol

[@xXx_Regulus_xXx]

do you mean comprehension? 😅

[@sslaia]

I'd add though, that there are some companies, which sell Chinese destined phones to markets like the UK. And of course AliExpress sell those phones to customers in other parts of the world. It means, those phones would collect much more data than allowed by GDPR. In summary: buy your phones from your local shops especially if they are of Chinese brands.

[@calebwoods9358]

Juan, not gonna lie, it's amazing that you don't let this stuff get to you. I know techies can be and are insufferable, but here you are, stil making these very enjoyable videos with care, thought, and nuance. It's extremely refreshing and we all love ya' for it.

[@etherealLife]

this reminded me, my chinese air purifier asked for permissions for anything that connects to my network and nearby devices. . . just turned that off

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

💯

[@cedrikthibert7033]

It's spying for the Communist Party. Lol

[@nikyabodigital]

Sounds like US Propaganda. We all know that USA is also doing the same to their phones. It's super weird.

[@kingmostro3571]

Excactly lmfao, most companies and phones spy ;)

[@psawjack7629]

How about we all just stick to Sony phones! This way we still get those horrible microSD card slots and that completely useless 3.5mm headphone jacks like we had back in the 90s 😁

[@lt.seantopperharley6369]

My thoughts exactly!

[@_m1k0]

That’s what I’m going to do if the mark V series goes well.

[@RamlyJer]

That's why I stay with Sony because of that old fashion features.. My phone memory is full I can transfer data to micro sd up to 1tb, if I want to gaming with headphones I can use the 3.5 jack for zero latency.. Sony ftw

[@twinfolktech]

"Enthusiast ports" according to MKBHD. Why would any average consumer want to use these features? 😂

[@zerokiryu6330]

90's?? Haha. I assume you're just being silly? :) 2007 was the first smart phone and most smart phones still have headphone jacks. Some of the flagships have stopping carrying them, but that's only in the last few years. I agree about Sony though!!! I want one so bad!! I wish TMobile carried them so I could do payments because man...they are way too expensive.

[@Gin_99v5]

You use social media apps? Check those permissions... Congratulations... You're data and activity is being TRACKED

[@coolpoete]

Man, I can't thank you enough for this video. I can always rely on you to keep it real! I used to wonder back when the US had put sanctions on Huawei some years back on their networking hardware and wondered what was happening with their phones but couldn't find any conclusive answers. It's a shame that these vivos, Poco's and Honors aren't more readily available. It would certainly drive prices down on flagships but something tells me this is all by design

[@dj2fit]

huawei phones where ahead of the game & probably would have gone on to be top android phones something tells me they upset market

[@arpitsrivstva]

so they just didn't let huawei succeed because of that and blamed them for leaking user data?

[@minjaekim1218]

Great video. Not blindingly believing the headlines and actually doing your own research. I also saw an article an wanted to know if there were any differences between Chinese roms and global roms but couldn't find any concrete answers. Thank you for this video.

[@tylerdunlap6787]

From what I understood about the study is that most of these were for CN versions, which I think we could all assume.

[@JimIBobIJones]

Because they have flashed a global rom on a "China Domestic Market" product, security updates are the issue with global roms on Chinese models. The question you really need to ask is: is China likely to give a f**k what I am doing? Unless you work in a politically or commercially sensitive field (i.e. anything related to politics, government or international trade/finance), I wouldn't really worry about it.

[@anoniem361]

@@JimIBobIJonesYes they do, read more articles about it.

[@JimIBobIJones]

@@anoniem361 you don't get official updates. If you want updates you have to rely on 3rd parties and flashing new versions of the ROMs. Not really the same is it?

[@hugokatz]

Since everyone is tracking, it comes down to trust. All Chinese Companies must co-opperate with the CCP. The question comes down to "do you ultimately trust the Chinese government, and the CCP"? I miss my old OnePlus, but the crazy things China is willing to do to its own citizens, has caused me to get an S23 Ultra. I don't trust, that in a conflict, they might decide to flip the swith, that allows them to treat me like they already treat their own If they're openly willing to run rough shood over their own citizens, what will they do to third party customers, if they get into trouble. If you're not watching, China is in serious trouble. At least America companies, and Samsung are afflitiated with governments, that value the idea, their citizens actually have some rights. Do I believe my own goverment will abuse my rights? Heck yeah, but I still believe its far less likely, than with the CCP. China ought to be trying to repair its international image. The fact they're standing with Russia in an open war of agression, doesn't bode well, when it comes to ethics. The biggest question, isn't who is spying, its what the affiated government is willing to do when the SHTF. Since theres one guy making all decisions, do you trust Xi? Do you ultimately believe, the Chinese would not take advantage of users, when they clearly don't care about the righs of their own citizens?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

That's not how this works at all. Companies do business in regions and have to follow those regulations. If they don't, they face penalties or expulsion from the region. If someone had EVIDENCE that Chinese phones made to be sold in the EU or USA were doing this, we would hear about it. Until there's evidence, this notion of "do you TRUST CHINA BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA" is just xenophobia and fear mongering. It's just FUD.

[@Kirmo13]

Great segment, but I would have highlighted the fact that this doesn't mean that your non-chinese phone is 100% private.It's just not as bad

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

The main point is that a phone coming from China doesn't seem to be any significantly different threat to privacy than any other region of design or manufacturing.

[@JackieChan-m1u]

Why is no one scared that both the iPhone and Google Pixel are being made in this country? What prevents them from using cunning surveillance mechanisms in these smartphones?

[@GHE-bv1pf]

Because of the trust. We trust Google to protect our data and if it is somehow misused, our government will punish google. Not a perfect solution by longshot but sure beats CCP. It all comes down to, do you trust Chinese companies and the government or American companies and the government.

[@NGHmusic]

It's quite sad that i put more trust in some chinese manufacturers than in US based ones these days.

[@astroch]

But who cares if the chinese gov has my data. I am more concerned about Google/meta/US gov having my data, since they can actually use it to affect my life

[@consciousgentile5141]

💯

[@Violeta.Lifeafter]

That is exactly why we use non-us based vpns Though that isn't the solution to this very aspect of the major issue of "anyone" accessing our data Doesn't matter who it it is, buying the product does not constitute us giving them the right to obtain our data , also using the 1 singular word "data" as used in their privacy policy does not explain what "data" is obtained If they are obtaining photos and files and clip board history on our devices that is illegal as it was not explicitly explained nor was that permission explicitly given Since it was not explicitly explained that they would have such level of power.... No power can question then doing this! And this is where "we" need to share information like this YT video and God damn demand that they stop spying

[@nnos-_]

Who cares if the Chinese govt has your data, right. But there is no guarantee that they won't use your data for something else. Whether you are a US citizen or Chinese citizen, makes no difference, the power to decide what to do with your collected data is still on their hands...

[@andrewcairnsmrkiplin]

everyones stealing and using your data you can't look at anything on the internet without being spammed by adverts from what you look at. i got a quad lock case like 7 months ago and to this day i still get adverts all over the place for them wish i never got one.

[@sergeantsoup1418]

How is it "xenophobic" to worry about your data?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

It's xenophobic to accuse phones of doing things that don't seem to happen just because of where they were manufactured. Be concerned about your data. The concern is for where the phone was intended to be sold, not where it was made.

[@sergeantsoup1418]

@@SomeGadgetGuy I don't think worrying about where something is made can be xenophobic. If you don't buy something made in China because of unreliability would that also be considered xenophobic? I think it just boils down to the expectation of quality and security and not because you are prejudiced against a country or its people. Some manufacturers just don't have the quality control as others and I think everyone kinda knows that.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Well yes. If you wont buy something because it was made in china, JUST because it was made in China, that would be xenophobic. Thats a TON of products, like the iPhone.

[@sergeantsoup1418]

@@SomeGadgetGuy that is true, don't get me wrong I still liked the video man. There are a lot of deceptive articles out there and I think you're right to dive deeper than just the headline. Thanks for taking time to reply

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

👍😊

[@jejunamja]

Thank you for bringing up the subject. I think the problem is nobody trusts experts anymore on the data says because we just had three years of being lied to about the data…. No, I’m not saying this case it’s not true I’m just saying there is definitely a lessening of believing experts about anything.

[@Audiomainia2310]

Hi Juan, I believe you and I were having this discussion initially - although I never became confrontational I don't believe, I was just inquiring due to a tech blog I had read. You have masterfully illuminated the questions and concisely answered what I was inquiring about, and I thank you for doing this video and linking to the study. You are da MAN Juan - BTW - still missing LG big guy.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Oh not you. I muted the guy who just started calling me a shill.

[@Audiomainia2310]

@@SomeGadgetGuy I would never stoop to name calling / I thank at my age I'm beyond name calling. I respect your work far too much Juan.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

@@Audiomainia2310 it's gotta be exhausting being that outraged by KZbinrs all the time...

[@indigobaloon8091]

Even the first analog phones were spied on. If you dont want to be spied on, then dont own a phone. Especially one with american parts software in it.

[@MrMaximino92]

European phones were the best choice, they had been annihilated.

[@skiddmcmarx5368]

Irrespective, I will not support a Chinese company. My family have been a huge fan of Japanese brands and their quality and I have continued to follow the same.

[@steventrog1078]

Ok how do i stop my phone from stealing my data.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Personally I only trust brands that let you unlock the bootloader. If they dont allow you to do this then that means they have a reason to lock you into the default software

[@johnathanmorlock]

Awesome job. I hadn't had a chance to read the paper and their findings. But, nonetheless, it did bring up some good conversations.

[@stever6986]

As always, excellent analysis of an important yet not always mainstream topic. However, what was left unsaid...should we be supporting (through our purchase $$'s) companies that are complicit in spying on populations elsewhere in the world??

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Do we know how a Samsung ROM handles data in Russia or China?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Before you answer that www.rferl.org/a/samsung-comply-russian-law-local-apps-phones-pcs/30442915.html

[@stever6986]

@@SomeGadgetGuy Fair point!

[@stever6986]

@@SomeGadgetGuy True, but those fines are speeding ticket level for those companies

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Which should make it worse right? Samsung shouldn't have any issues sticking to a more moral stance on consumer protection and privacy. Unless those are fines per infraction. Regardless, if we're not going to support one manufacturer because of how they comply in one region, we also shouldn't support another manufacturer for doing the same thing. OR we can support good business practices, like complying with good data protection regulations in countries that require it.

[@andrewc31394]

When my One Plus 6 needed to be serviced, a One Plus tech support guy asked to remotely access my computer with the phone connected to it and he installed some things and I'll be honest it seemed pretty sketchy when they hid everything they were doin. And they wouldn't tell me anything about the software that was used or what was accessed. The phone was great but I'm going to hold off on One Plus devices after that

[@MrWillypanda88]

They probably installed Android ADB driver. It needs to be installed because that's the driver needed to do re-flashing. You said they ask you to connect your phone to your PC and remote the PC? That sounds like they're reinstalling your OS. Explaining this as someone who doesn't speak English natively could be difficult, more difficult still if they're talking to casual users. IMHO It might be a good idea not to presume malice on everything, especially if it doesn't have any basis.

[@anetizen6404]

@@MrWillypanda88 good luck with that mate. You’ve never witnessed the 2019 protests right in front of your eyes or the people who got disappeared just by holding white flags in the state one river away from that city of protests. It’s hard to really clear that fear and prejudice from the suppressed, be it Haitian immigrants, war refugees from the Middle East or basically anybody coming out of communist states. BTW I got an Oppo that’s not available outside China last year because I could not afford hundreds or thousands on smartphones. I’m doomed.

[@AndreiMirceaNistor]

What about importing a phone from China because is cheeper(or unavailable, I considered getting the Vivo pro plus) than buying it locally ?

[@jonnycarlson9555]

Don't

[@Axam1]

Are Chinese phones (global versions) in the middle east safe?

[@Audiomainia2310]

Such illuminating information. I have a friend who has citizenship here, but occasionally goes to see family in Shanghai. The Chinese are diligent over there in tracking your phone. A case in point is that there is an app installed in Chinese made phones that allows the government to see if you are in a high covid rate area and color codes warning as to red yellow and green. The police show up almost immediately if you are in a Red Zone area trying to re-enter a green zone area and they quarantine you very quickly. But according to this study it appears that that type of tracking does not exist on the operating systems within Europe. Am I correct?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Not just whether an app is preinstalled, but also whether those apps are automatically granted permissions. Chinese ROMs behave very differently from global and EU ROMs.

[@Audiomainia2310]

@@SomeGadgetGuy From what my friend told me, the Chinese version that he owns has pre-installed apps with permissions to geo location and none of these features can be turned off nor deleted. He told me point blank - " they see where you are every step of the way" .

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Speaking from experience with importing phones, I feel his experiences are accurate. Why it's important that we see a follow up study, on how other brands like Sony, Apple, and Samsung might handle user data when sold in China too...

[@Audiomainia2310]

@@SomeGadgetGuy Considering Apple devices are produced in China, I'm sure they are aware - I worked for Siemens PLM division, and know they have been using NX for design and cam operations for over a decade. You would be shocked at the actual total cost to manufacture an Apple phone.

[@奤]

really? in china my auntie and uncle both have xiaomi phones and never experienced that

[@callmev.2397]

Any mention of back doors in those articles? I'm genuinely interested if there is anything I can reference that proves they don't exist.

[@sharcare5167]

Be more worried about the NSA spying on you through your modem with the backdoors they had installed with American Companies. Yes it happened, Yes it is highly illegal, No nothing really happened to the people that did it

[@TheJohn8765]

As a start, traffic analysis from something like Wireshark will give you an idea of how much data is transmitted and to where, even if encrypted. That should give you an idea even if bad actors obfuscate the destination.

[@Sandor7698]

2:50 every phone number in China is registered to the person using it, to make tracking down by the government easier. Aren't we in the West forced to sign into Google, before we are able to use an android phone? Google knows everything about us (phone number, personal things like birthday, personal preferences, interests, etc). Google owning this information means the US government owns this information.

[@skinthusiastic]

Not just in China. After the terrorist bombing in 2016 in Belgium, we also have to register our sim card + phone number to our name.

[@MrStrife622]

Isn't most of this issue resolved if you want to uninstall all third-party pre-installed apps through a debloat program?

[@blakexi3731]

Nope, all sorts of ways to install hidden spyware that isn't affected by flashing ROMs and such. Your phone is basically three computers, and your OS is only part of one of said computers.

[@MrStrife622]

@@blakexi3731 Wouldn't flashing firmware resolve the other portion? Would you mind explaining a bit more? 🙏

[@blakexi3731]

@@MrStrife622 Flashing new firmware doesn't replace all the storage partitions, such as the ODM put on their by the manufacturer. Pegasus, which was found on the iPhone, was capable of reinstalling itself whenever custom firmware was used due to this. I'm not an expert but that's what I can contribute as far as layman's knowledge.

[@MrStrife622]

@@blakexi3731 thank you for explaining. It's worth a deep dive

[@PolakPatriotaTheOne]

Do you know guys how i can turn off tracking on my device xiaomi 14 ? I don't talk app apps behaviour...

[@ivanfrangugic8355]

If you Install global Rom on China phone is it Safet or Not. Are my data Thema colected on EU SERVER? i use mi 12t pro global nad never had eny problems

[@NM_rocker]

I'm so thankful your video showed up in my feed, this was very informative and makes total sense.

[@BrianGlaze]

So many people would be in a much better position if they just read the abstract and conclusion of an article before they comment.

[@nnos-_]

Hi I'm currently using a Poco F6 Pro global version and not the "EU" type of global version. I quote "In contrast, the data shared by the Global version of the firmware is mostly limited to device-specific information. Our study therefore highlights major differences in terms of how privacy provisions are enforced in different regions" People still talk about privacy concerns with the well established Chinese phone brands to this day. Now the question is what if. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm just overthinking. But what if the Chinese companies are merely waiting for everybody to cool down and settle first, then they secretly implement data harvesting software in the next update patch disguised as "Security patch for January 2025"? You know, the Chinese will do literally everything to make their image look good but behind they have an ulterior motive. As cunning as ever.

[@inky-nek0]

Also I SWEAR THEY LISTEN TO MY CALLS! My phone will call my partner, it'll ring on his phone before my "calling" noise starts on my phone, it'll then stop ringing on his, my phone will make the calling sound and then the legit call makes it through. Dodgy ass shit going down here

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

That's honestly not TOO surprising given the way telecoms snoop on EVERYTHING you do on your phone. The FTC did a major report on that recently. Your phone doesn't need to spy on you when the carrier will do it. But I wouldn't be too concerned about your poco if it's running an international ROM.

[@fho-gg7wr]

That makes sense. Perhaps the reason chinese flagship phones are not released globally is so that some people will choose to import them. I'm talking about Xiaomi 12S Ultra, Vivo x90 pro plus and now reports that oppo might not release the find x6 pro globally.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

I think that's just a "perk". The sad reality is that premium android is kinda dying in a lot of more western markets. Especially around north america. There's ZERO interest in expensive android phones below the age of thirty. When these phones use REALLY exotic parts, it doesnt make sense to have a bunch of phones sitting on shelves, devaluing, and eventually sold off for fire sale prices. That's what killed LG. Build a SMALL number, keep the demand high with a small regional audience, keep the value higher. It becomes a point of pride that the most exciting phones "stay at home". Why devalue the brand and cheapen it by shipping it to other countries?

[@2011Kestrel]

Hi, I’m a foreign power with a massive technological industry. Should I use my industry to spy on my opponents, which - if caught - would cause an international incident, leading me to be permanently banned from the global market, massive sanctions against my country, further pressure on my government, and ultimately harm my industry and economy. Or should I play nice, flood the market with well made, affordable electronics, and extract billions of dollars from foreign countries and move that money into my own economy, making me an even greater industrial superpower. What to do, what to do….

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Well I'd start with reading the study.

[@SethiestSeth]

I love the "privacy" on my Chinese (PRC) imported iphone 😉

[@buzzlightyear3461]

Best comment of all replies

[@sc9433]

You use smartphones u have no privacy. Period. Its just in which direction it is being sent to. Be more afraid of your own government having your data than CCP which has no effect on you.

[@kenv2667]

Just to be clear, this is China ROM phones vs global version of a same phone right?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Correct. If you use a Chinese ROM outside of China, even in areas with strict regulations on consumer privacy, the ROM includes apps with permissions that will transfer data back to China. We do NOT see the same pre-approved permissions on apps using international ROMs.

[@skinthusiastic]

@@SomeGadgetGuy What about when you import a chinese phone (I'm eyeing the OnePlus 12 in glacial white) to the E.U. that has global ROM flashed on it? From Color OS to Oxygen OS. Does it still fall under a chinese ROM then, or is it a regular global version at that point? Not an expert in tech so hopefully I worded that correctly.

[@-_-369-_-]

@@skinthusiastic i wonder about that too. I wanted to eventually buy the OP 12 from TradingShenzen but i'm unsure after watching this Video and looking through the comments.

[@andyw1955]

Love the “clip” format.

[@northof-62]

Thx! Looking at at Oneplus Nord 4 atm. Norwegian retailer. Very god value IMO. (Btw. in Norway all phone numbers are ID'd . Burner sims are not allowed here.)

[@Kiwichico]

Google blatantly does it.

[@Ractiox]

so i dont understand, is my data being tracked or not? im using a redmi note 12 and im scared right now

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Read the study.

[@Violeta.Lifeafter]

Are motorola phones safe ?

[@arvindsrivatsav5916]

I'm a Lil late to get it, what is device specific info getting shared on non Chinese versions of Chinese phones, the conclusion what does it actually mean on layman terms??

[@rationalexistence]

I would better not take the risk and stick to non Chinese brands. I had owned Xiaomi phones over the years and they cripple the cameras and stop updates in a year. Also lot of junk apps and system apps are pre-installed which track you every now and then. Xiaomi account is mandatory in many stock apps. Ads shown middle of app screen even in flagship phones. Customers only buy them because of best price to performance ratio. I own a pixel 4a now from more than 3 years also has 3a. Never had any problems except for a battery change at the end of 3rd year. Customer experience matters which is a lot better in Google, Samsung, Apple phones.

[@andrewlim7751]

Well, as for me, I'm looking everywhere for phones not Iphone or Samsung, my last phone is Huawei, and I previously had both iphone and Samsung. 😁😁

[@andrewlim7751]

Btw, my best user experience have been Huawei. 😘😘

[@anetizen6404]

Ugh shit is so bad without China… nothing is the only interesting company out there and is based in the uk. I’m not looking for foreign brands but also brands that are not assembled in china. Framework laptop and LG flagships in the past are a good example.

[@victory7213]

Excellent job . Debunking is harder than fearmongering .

[@MrChadLedford]

Thank you for going in depth on this topic, I was too lazy to read it myself. I'm very interested in OnePlus phones.

[@RamlyJer]

So is that mean only Chinese rom contain the Spyware?

[@MrWillypanda88]

only Chinese phone, bought by Chinese citizens, registered to their identity cards have spyware on them.

[@turkishcountryball222]

is honor safe

[@andycurrier774]

Great video, Question, if you were to buy a chinese cell, and reflash to global software, are you then good? or is the danger hidden as well?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

As far as I understand from studies like these, it's what software comes bundled IN the ROM. The global ROM carries not only fewer included apps, the apps included have fewer permissions pre-approved. That should mean a global ROM should be compliant with European consumer protection regulations.

[@andycurrier774]

@@SomeGadgetGuy That's how I figure it, here in Canada we get very little choice in carrier phones, let alone non carrier. I've had oneplus previously with poor carrier support but carrier support has fairly recently improved allowing significantly more phones to work on 4 and 5g lines

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

I want to be more excited about cool tech, but so far all I've seen from 5G is that it helps reduce congestion at the tower, and it's a way to lock consumers into carrier plans, as there's no way to cover every carrier's bands. It's super lame.

[@americanparser]

I can't understand why Motorola isn't included in this report. Motorola is a thoroughly, unapologetically Chinese company these days. And Juan, it's disappointing and unfair of you to describe this concern by some people as xenophobia. You know very well that this is not a concern about Chinese people. It's disingenuous for you to imply that this issue is a matter of racial prejudice, when you know very well the concern is simply about the character of the communist Chinese government, not the Chinese people in general.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

You'd need to reach out to the folks who did the study. As to xenophobia, there's little else to point to. If it's not xenophobia, then please explain the sentiment behind internationally sold Chinese phones being panned over security concerns, when there's very little practical evidence to support those claims.

[@3636jb]

​@@SomeGadgetGuyit's not xenophobic to distrust a foreign government anymore than it is to distrust your own government. Even without what you consider practical evidence (even though what the majority would consider practical evidence does in fact exist), china's track record of censorship, state surveillance, industrial espionage, and other unscrupulous behaviors are reason enough to distrust products made in a country where a company's success largely depends on its' complicity with the governing power. Has nothing to do with their ethnicity and everything to do with government practices.

[@KN-ml2gp]

Many thanks, great work!

[@mikenichols3849]

research methodologies are the easiest and best means to determine both the reliability and validity of any study. be it solid research or junk e.g. "the bell curve wars." a textbook example of a seemingly good study from a Harvard professor used frequently in courses to demonstrate just this. another words if you know and understand the methodology employed by reading that one paragraph there's no need to waste your time reading what's essentially hot garbage dressed up to appear as legitimate and trustworthy. it's a shame our public schools typically fail to teach our kids even the basics of what research methodologies are let alone how to critique them.

[@tatooine_dream]

cool. except shit tons of CN vers get sold to the international market

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Well that's a different consumer education issue than just squawking "China phone bad!".

[@lclalnl]

Huawei Harmony OS sending data back 👀

[@devilish_ashe]

Thank you for being so real with us.

[@obsidian1710]

Really appreciate the breakdown of how this works after all of the controversy... gives me more peace of mind. I just ordered a OnePlus 12R...

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

It's a great mid-ranger, hope you dig it 👍

[@chahine_tech]

google/facebook/instagram.... are doing the same so what's the diffrence lmao

[@anetizen6404]

What would you recommend political activists to use then?

[@achillesmax7215]

You have a solid reputation.. stop the dazed and confused narrative, You presented the study.. you stretched your presentation without clarifying the question.. are the phones safe to use in the United States. less humor more concrete analysis. Bravo and kudos on your platform Juanbagnell respect achilles

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

The study IS the concrete analysis. No one is reading that. At the same time, you have to overcome the MOUNTAIN of xenophobia that has been introduced by lazy conversations prior. The entire point of my channel is to confront lazy reviewing with snark to mask my immediate and tangible frustration with the wasteland that my hobby has become. If that's not your vibe, I totally appreciate folks going elsewhere, but I want the smarter geeks out there to get angry about this stuff. I won't be changing my tone to make these conversations more sanitized and "boring" for people to feel comfortable.

[@championxxlNL]

All phone brands collect data, I don't mind it because it gives me a better experience and helps the manufacturers make money to make more phones. My problem with Chinese phones is that you have a big chance that if they get the chance that they will steal corporate data. That's my biggest problem, they will do anything to steal data from other companies so they can copy their products without the R&D costs. This is a big reason why I'm not going to buy a Chinese phone, I'm not going to finance them doing this, plus I don't like their phones but thats something different. At the end of the day I don't think for personal use it would matter to much, maybe if you're heavy anti Chinese government and plan to visit China it might but as a business I would not trust using Chinese phones. It's a tricky situation.

[@sharcare5167]

You should look up that time, that the NSA made all the American company's put backdoors into there modem firmware so they could spy on everyone. Or that time the NSA was illegally hoovering up every bit of internet traffic they could get their hands on.... OOOPS, thats still going on.... You do realise that stealing other company's tech goes on to this day, BETWEEN NON CHINESE Company's. IP theft is an issue, lets not pretend that China is the only culprit, they just getting in on it later then everyone else.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Oh you don't even need to go to the security agencies collecting data as some kind of conspiracy theory, the FTC published a report about ISPs doing that for profit. Just publicly. Like, you can just read it. Here www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/10/ftc-staff-report-finds-many-internet-service-providers-collect-troves-personal-data-users-have-few

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

@@PSYCHOV3N0M yup. It will help. It really just depends on how much someone wants your data? A VPN is an obstacle, but probably not a full proof solution.

[@makatogonzo]

The answer is no... 8:30

[@haroldpierson5271]

Bottom line: Chinese companies are ABSOLUTELY beholding to the Chinese government. Huawei in particular. If they (Chinese phone manufacturer) are requested to, they MUST provide information to the Chinese Government... They MUST provide unlimited information to the Chinese Government. End of...

[@GoobyPlzz]

Someone didn't watch the video

[@frankpgallo]

LOL. Juan called this type of comment.

[@mikhailr2992]

Do you even understand how much data Google and Apple mine from you and sell on to....... EVERYONE Facebook has been "collecting" everything on your phone for decades. There is so little hope for us as a species

[@lukey08]

Seems that you are the perfect target market for the mainstream media to prey on to unleash its fake narratives.

[@SunsetNova]

Harold Pierson watch the video before commenting

[@inky-nek0]

Just me chillin over here with my Poco X3 Pro - "Oh shit I need to get rid FAST" 🤯😲

[@Dare2Blink]

Hey Juan great video but if you don't mind I would like to do a minor correction : contrary to what the western media would like to make you believe, the great majority of Chinese people are not worried at all about data collection by their government. I know this from multiple sources of expats that lived or still live in China for many years. This occurs for two reasons: the first is that they simply trust their government in a manner that is almost inconceivable in the west. Remember that Chinese people alive today experience a standard of living far higher than their grandparents or even parents ever did. Their government has taken 700 million people out of poverty after all. The second reason is cultural, for them, and for Asian cultures in general, privacy is not nearly as important and the well-being of everyone and the country as a whole takes precedence.

[@ettcha]

I'd love to see how the likes of Transsion handle data from their African markets. Not likely to happen though. Last I looked it was all puff pieces and general apathy towards data privacy by African consumers. We have other stuff to worry about!

[@PerryHacker]

Wait isn't the iPhone built in China? Samsung in south Korea?

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

The bulk of Samsung devices are built in Vietnam and India, but there is still some manufacturing in Korea and Taiwan. The point of these studies though, it really doesn't matter where the phone was built, but where it was intended to be sold. A phone built to be sold in China (even by Samsung and Apple) will likely still deliver the same data as a Huawei or Xiaomi built to be sold in China. A phone built to be sold in the EU will have to comply with EU data privacy regulations.

[@jafermohammed3530]

my comment is late!, i don't care one bit, when i see a golden nugget i say GOLDEN NUGGET!!

[@Gerardfpatrice]

You know what that real talk. As a society we tend to go with the crowd and not think or do research for ourselves. Also I think this whole Huawei zte etc thing is crazy. Any country can do the same action if that was true including USA. Honestly if we really want privacy then we should not be in the whole ok internet period and not use smartphones tablets etc....

[@nikytamayo]

Already saw that coming a million miles away. There's no way you could bundle all that stuff with Global ROMs. Also... a little bit of xenophobia? It's a huge chunk of xenophobia. And a lot of tech sites jumping on the bandwagon for clicks and likes.

[@tutacat]

So funny how they aren't looking at Google, Apple.

[@alcylon]

spyware is on all phone. so stop that

[@TuneTamasha]

Now compare it with Samsung and Apple in US/EU.

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

Considering the way that Apple apps now fingerprint your behavior outside the user controls on privacy (and in a way that technically violates their own app developer guidelines), privacy focused consumers are in for a rough time...

[@TuneTamasha]

@@SomeGadgetGuy Yeah. Good video. Was just thinking along the lines of what does the NSA do and how the biggest western brands compare.

[@impulsesystems]

Great video. And yet, Huawei...

[@jeffayson1539]

so juan is it safe to import chinese phones with chinese rom like the vivo x90 pro plus, iqoo phones and oppo find X6 pro?thanks

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

"safe" comes down to YOUR comfort level and YOUR behavior. I import Chinese ROM phones to review, but I limit what I put on them, and I try to flash global ROMs where possible.

[@korndud]

THANK YOU. im so fucking sick of the rampant sinophobia, especially in the tech world.

[@korndud]

plus, did everyone just forget the NSA and how the american government has been PROVEN to spy on you?!

[@SomeGadgetGuy]

You don't even need to go as far as the "three letter" security agencies. The FTC published a report about ISPs and carriers selling off all your data, and they considered that a significant security risk for end users. Public study. It's free for everyone to read it. www.ftc.gov/reports/look-what-isps-know-about-you-examining-privacy-practices-six-major-internet-service-providers

[@rhoem1353]

that good to know now well i go out of samsung sphere since price for phone with storage i would like is to much since no sd card well hope phone amazing then major upgrrade in term of price of phone

[@BarryJohnson]

The answer is no, they didn't read the study. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@nimahassanpour7201]

Nope😮

[@AgentXXeyes]

US gov does the same! And can use it against you.

[@Helghast73]

When you have spent a few years demonising you can come out with such misleading headlines, it’s not got to the point of… White man company good Yellow man bad regardless

[@M.A992]

Stick to samsung or google phones

[@Raancdashcamtape-hk7vu]

But American phones collect your data too they watching everything you doing Facebook and Instagram so😂

[@EzzuPeazu]

nice

[@lucleoni]

🎯💯👍

[@damolin77]

It's no different then Microsoft telemetry and sending our data to 3rd parties. Just look at the wireshark video Leo from The PC Security Channel did.

[@TheJohn8765]

Umm, Microsoft telemetry doesn't land you in an interrogation because of your views on Hong Kong sovereignty (as an example). If you are a Chinese citizen you very much should be concerned about what data is being harvested.

[@N060DY]

lol and iPhones arent stealing your data 🤣

[@Exyvia]

Main stream media doesn't care, it's about clicks and the xenophobia gets the most clicks.

[@dgattenb]

i would rather be scared of the US made apps than anything from overseas , however the US does not make phones . the UK does not make phone etc etc China makes phones, TV etc etc etc etc