Forbes’ Thomas Brewster and cybersecurity researchers Gabriel Cirlig and Andrew Tierney discovered that the Redmi Note 8 was observing users’ phone habits and sending them to Xiaomi’s rented servers.
Forbes’ Thomas Brewster and cybersecurity researchers Gabriel Cirlig and Andrew Tierney discovered that the Redmi Note 8 was observing users’ phone habits and sending them to Xiaomi’s rented servers.
It was found that when browsing the web using the handset’s default Xiaomi browser, all the websites and search engine queries were recorded. It also monitored each item viewed on a news feed feature of Xiaomi’s software. Worryingly, the surveillance appeared to be happening even when browsing using incognito mode.
The phone also sent data about what folders were opened and interactions with the home screen, along with unique device numbers and Android versions.
Tierney discovered that in addition to the pre-installed stock browser on MIUI, Xiaomi’s Android-based OS, the company’s Mi Browser Pro and the Mint Browser—both available on Google Play with a combined 15 million+ downloads—were also collecting user data.
