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Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

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Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#111

Post by stevewodil »

totalZero wrote: post #94
stevewodil wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>1.) Xiaomi worth billions of dollars, not 1.4 trillion, but way more than most companies. They're referring to Alphabet's (Google) market cap, not Xiaomi's.

Pretty clear that GP understands this, since his next point specifically addresses Google. I think he's saying that Xiaomi is also a big company, albeit less big. Seems like a fair point.

Actually, it's certainly not "pretty clear".

The GP responded to each line in the original comment with a number. So, their point about Google (point #2) was seemingly unrelated to their point about Xiaomi's market cap (point #1) as they addressed different parts of the original comment.

The GP mentioned Google perhaps not because of the market cap mentioned in point #1, but rather as a response to the original comment's mention of American companies.

This is further evidenced by their use of point #3 to refer to the term oligarch, which was the third topic raised in the original comment.

You can see how not clear this is based on other replies to the comment as well.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#112

Post by buildbot »

michaelcampbell wrote: post #102
danpalmer wrote: post #16

This paragraph stood out to me: > The intention here seems to be that aigt is the timestamp when the ID was generated. So if that timestamp deviates from current time by more than 7776000000 milliseconds (90 days) a new ID is going to be generated. However, this implementation is buggy, it will update aigt on every call rather than only when a new ID is generated. So the only scenario where a new ID will be generated…

> If we assume that Xiaomi aren't literally trying to spy for a government Is that even allowed by Chinese law?

I believe the implication would be they are spying for China in this case, and therefore as legal as they want it to be.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#113

Post by HNfriend234 »

walrus01 wrote: post #7

I truly don't understand, from a security and privacy perspective, why would anyone outside of China would voluntarily choose to run closed-source software from a company that's subject to domestic laws and regulations in China. The MSS is no joke. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=china+mss... This is the same reason that Zoom is banned at my workplace and many other partner companies. You've actual…

I use a xiaomi phone and the reason I use it is because it is significantly cheaper compared to a samsung or apple phone. Example: A $200 xiaomi phone is equivalent in specs to a $600 Samsung.

Also it is likely the Chinese are spying on me indirectly (data collection where the chinses military can access the data if they want to) but I really have nothing significant on me that the Chinese would want to be concerned with me.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#114

Post by systemvoltage »

lucideer wrote: post #14
walrus01 wrote: post #7

I truly don't understand, from a security and privacy perspective, why would anyone outside of China would voluntarily choose to run closed-source software from a company that's subject to domestic laws and regulations in China. The MSS is no joke. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=china+mss... This is the same reason that Zoom is banned at my workplace and many other partner companies. You've actual…

Could it be the same reason anyone outside of the US would voluntarily choose to run close-source software from a company that's subject to domestic laws and regulations in the US? The ECPA is no joke.

Responses like this are so predictable and shed no further light or provide no new insight.

They're unproductive and flame-war prone. I downvoted your comment.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#115

Post by ed25519FUUU »

Our schools are dumbing down math and removing advanced classes (if you can even go to school) because of “white supremacy”, meanwhile China is investing full speed into engineering disciplines and is performing extremely effective espionage against virtually all Americans.

I don’t know if there will ever be a sino-American war, but if there ever is one it’s going to be very painful for us.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#116

Post by grishka »

walrus01 wrote: post #7

I truly don't understand, from a security and privacy perspective, why would anyone outside of China would voluntarily choose to run closed-source software from a company that's subject to domestic laws and regulations in China. The MSS is no joke. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=china+mss... This is the same reason that Zoom is banned at my workplace and many other partner companies. You've actual…

Xiaomi phones are frighteningly popular here in Russia because they're very cheap. Like, a-phone-could-not-cost-this-little cheap. A 7000₽ (around $100) phone? Why not, seems legit! And not many people really understand what Xiaomi is actually doing to offset that cost. Heck, when you open the built-in calculator app in MIUI, it has a freakin privacy policy and refuses to operate if you don't accept that. Same for the gallery and the music player — you know, all the apps that have no business knowing that the internet at all exists.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#117

Post by asien »

> If you use Mint Browser (and presumably Mi Browser Pro similarly), Xiaomi doesn’t merely know which websites you visit but also what you search for, which videos you watch, what you download and what sites you added to the Quick Dial page

Yet people in Europe they LOVE Xiaomi. I swear I’ve seen so many of my friends with those high end 500$ phones.

Even if they are tech guys it’s like they just don’t care , they want the most powerful phone with the most features at the cheapest price.

At this game Xiaomi and other Chinese brands have become very good.

That being said Google as been doing the exact same thing for 30 years. Nobody ever considered banning google from anything.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#118

Post by eptcyka »

aroman wrote: post #26
nottorp wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I returned it and got a Samsung instead for this exact reason.

Any model to recommend? Not sure if our usecases are the same -- I wanted to find a cheap "lower end of the market" phone to test my mobile game on. Frankly, the poco m3 might even be too powerful for that purpose...

Not a Samsung in my experience. They get slow quick and the bluetooth chip on mine died literally out of nowhere. After 3 months of use, no less.

Get a pixel or a oneplus.

Re: Are Xiaomi browsers spyware? Yes, they are (2020)

#119

Post by La1n »

tiagod wrote: post #68
La1n wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with your statement, but I'd like to get it a bit further. Why run any closed-sourced software from (or have servers in) countries that can request you data without a fair trial (e.g. secret courts). I feel just as uncomfortable about national security letters and the NSA/CIA as the MSS, this from someone who is not living in China or the US. I do think this shows the perks of open source software and being a…

Can you tell me which countries definitely won't force you to secretly do things you don't want to in matters of national security?

Maybe ask OP, as they did bring up MSS. I myself try to self-host as much as possible, and try to use open-source roms/software on my phone/desktop.

https://github.com/awesome-selfhosted/awesome-selfhosted

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