Risk in the palm of your hand: can the Russian Federation obtain data on the Armed Forces of Ukraine thanks to Chinese smartphones

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focus.ua

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Facebook recently raised a very important issue. And it sounds like this: are Chinese smartphones with modified Android systems safe for Ukrainian military and volunteers? Or is there some possibility that such smartphones are being tracked by the Chinese authorities, and then the data is transmitted to the Russian Federation? I will try to answer it in detail.

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Are Chinese manufacturers illegally intercepting user information?, including conversations, correspondence, etc.? Each manufacturer from China without fail uses its own shell, with which we, in fact, interact. This wrapper may have hidden undocumented functionality aimed at collecting information about user behavior behind the scenes. It is worth noting that there are many manufacturers, they are all different and show different habits. Small (compared to A- and B-brands) manufacturers do just about anything, including installing malware. As for the first and second league companies, they also collect as much information as they can without violating local laws. That is, they can 100% collect geodata, but not record calls or activate cameras. I think, at the request of the PRC state authorities, manufacturers share this information with special services,

But if we talk about A-brands, then in four years the United States has not been able to prove at least one such case. So it is precisely this risk in the case of OnePlus, Huawei, Xiaomi, etc. I consider insignificant.

Is cooperation between the Chinese and Russian intelligence services likely, including the exchange of data accumulated by Chinese companies? From what I know/read about the actual state of affairs between the two states, I do not believe in established regular relations of this kind. For all the rhetoric of strategic alliance, China avoids any obligations to the Kremlin. Providing data (actually constant monitoring) of hundreds of millions of smartphone users is too serious a thing, which, for starters, cannot be hidden for long. "Burning" such a source of information for the sake of your actual vassal is a bad idea. This is not the style of the Chinese. As a one-time act of assistance in some extreme situation in exchange for very significant steps on the part of the Russians, it is possible. But not more.

The problem of uncontrolled access to geodata of users of the leading digital platforms of the world . These are Android, iOS, Meta products (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram). In recent years, American journalists have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to acquire such data on a massive scale. Despite the assurances of platforms and direct sellers of such data, protocols for their depersonalization leave the possibility of targeting with accuracy to an individual person.

In the case of non-residents of the US and the EU, as far as I understand, there are no significant "safeties". Actually, they do not work for residents either, which has been repeatedly demonstrated. Therefore, in particular, the EU requires US companies to comply with GDPR rules and other forms of risk management.

So Chinese manufacturers are not the only channel for information leakage , and not the most dangerous. American companies, for example, also collect information from 100% of smartphones and actively trade this information. All this means, in particular, that the Russian special services can simply buy the data they need on the open market, masquerading as commercial users. I hope that at least now the US government has introduced at least some restrictions on such activities. I hope, but I don't really believe in it.

Last year, work began on the implementation of the European regulatory framework in the field of mobile network security in Ukraine. Appropriate regulations, primarily the so-called. The EU 5G Cybersecurity Toolbox offers a solid approach to managing the diverse risks posed by today's networks. Among other things, we are talking about the risks associated with manufacturers of hardware and software.

The war with the Russian Federation actualizes the issues of protecting the national infrastructure from threats. I would like to believe that the authorities will finally pay due attention to this issue.

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