Xiaomi reportedly has the power to remotely enable censoring on its phones, based on keywords that are likely meant for China.
Xiaomi apparently has the ability to censor content on any of its phones by flicking a remote switch, according to a new report by the Lithuanian government cyber security agency. The report is part of an investigation into Chinese phones, to understand the kind of security and privacy breaches that smartphones from China might represent. Through this investigation, the agency found out that Xiaomi smartphones have an underlying command, and can at times remotely download a list of blocked keywords on its phones. If enabled, its phones will be able to essentially censor content based on the keywords pushed remotely by the company. The blacklisted keywords are most likely part of censorship mandates that the company is required to put forth in China.
