Xiaomi Has Been Accused of Monitoring Users' Browsing Habits

This usage routine includes the folders that Gabi Cirlig has opened on his phone, his interactions with all applications, status bars and settings menus, and even simple actions like swiping the screen. it will be recorded. Not only that, Xiaomi even tracks the list of songs that Cirlig has heard through the default music player on her Redmi phone.

The security researcher also found that whenever he proceeds to browse the web using Xiaomi's default browser application, it will keep a record of all the websites he visits, as well as public queries. Search engines and items viewed in the browser newsfeed.

More worrisome, this information collection behavior still happens silently even when users use incognito mode in the browser. Gabi Cirlig has now found the same tracking code on other popular Xiaomi smartphones on the market, including high-end models like Redmi K20 (Xiaomi Mi 9T), Mi 10 and Mi Mix 3.

Another international security researcher, Andrew Tierney, also found similar behavior in Xiaomi's Mi Browser Pro and Mint Browser applications, both of which are now available on the Google Play Store with more than 15 million downloads. down. What is more worrying, however, is that security researchers can easily decode and search the readable information from these collected data, despite Xiaomi's claim that the data Absolutely encrypted for security reasons.

After Forbes reported the findings, Xiaomi confirmed that it was collecting users' browsing data, stating that it agreed to track their browsing history. However, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has denied that it tracks users in incognito mode on the browser.

According to Forbes's allegations, Xiaomi has partnered with a company called Sensors Analytics that specializes in "in-depth data analysis and professional consulting services" to understand people's smartphone usage habits. use. Xiaomi has confirmed its relationship with Sensor Analytics, but the company claims the collected data is stored on its own servers and is not shared with any third party companies.