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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)

#491

Post by BigJ1211 »

melomal wrote: post #407
kwanbix wrote: post #391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course (almost?) no government is a saint. However, China is a totalitarian non-democratic government. I would fear the Chinese government much more than the US or UK governments, for example. But I might be too naive.

> I would fear the Chinese government If you are outside of China then surely there is nothing to really be scared of? What could the Chinese government do with your data that could cause harm? I get it's the principle but ultimately we are all scared of sharing our data with China and I am not sure why?

I think most people assume totalitarian regime that's interested in at the very least being the economic powerhouse of the world, won't have good intentions with collecting everyone's data.

A far better assumption than: "well others do it too, therefore nothing about it can be more nefarious."

I do not want anyone getting their hands on my data, but in order of regions collected data this is my 'preference': EU >>> US > RU >> CN

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

#492

Post by higerordermap »

melomal wrote: post #487
yumraj wrote: post #459

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Chinese companies place servers in US, then these servers would just be a proxy to feed data to Chinese servers. To each there own, but I think China will have to fundamentally change at this point for me to have any trust in any Chinese companies. Just look at Alibaba. If they are not safe from CCP influence, then it is safe to assume that all Chinese companies are just shells, or under influence of, the CCP.

I get the fear but what do you imagine would happen to you and your data if the Chinese government got their hands on it? Will they create an internal credit system for the West? If so, how would this affect you. I'm genuinely curious what people fear will happen to them and their data if it went to a Chinese server. What are the consequences? What is the difference between Amazon running A/B tests to get as much mon…

They collect data of all other countries. As their devices become pervasive, the data and thousands of RCEs serve as an aid to intelligence, if your country is competing with or in a fight with China, this is actively harmful.

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

#493

Post by kchr »

amaccuish wrote: post #449
onepointsixC wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider Document Number 9[1], and the fact that the CCP considers your existing Irish political system and liberal ideology as a threat and one which it is actively working to undermine. You already know what it's like living in a world which the US is a dominate super power, that's what the West has experience in the past 70 years and it had created some of the greatest prosperity both the US and West have experien…

> Consider Document Number 9[1], and the fact that the CCP considers your existing Irish political system and liberal ideology as a threat and one which it is actively working to undermine. You have quite literally also just described the US. "China and Communism are a threat which we should seek to undermine". It works both ways.

This.

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

#494

Post by lovelyviking »

tomc1985 wrote: post #276
lovelyviking wrote: post #275

Why don't we address the root of the problem? Who controls computer? If user of computer (with phone features) doesn't have a full control over it then this situation can and will be abused by some one who does. It seems a logical consequence of not having full control over your own computer. Why we discuss mostly the degree of such abuse and not the core of the problem ? Another core of the problem is dealing with c…

Because there is a lot more money to be made when you don't control the computer. We are in the middle of a data gold rush. Business types can't resist.

Reminds me a bit logic of a thief which just can't resist.

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

#495

Post by giantrobot »

fsflover wrote: post #488
giantrobot wrote: post #461

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The regulations around radios exist because the spectrum is limited and emissions propagate over a wide area. You and I (assuming you're in the US) have the same standing to use radio spectrum. If I go and modify my phone's firmware to increase the power output I could literally jam communications from your phone. It's very different than if I modified the firmware on my hard drive or UEFI on a PC. I might fuck up my…

Using wrong spectrum and jamming communications of others can be illegal without forcing proprietary firmware. It's like making all cars illegal, because someone blocks access roads for a fire brigade.

It's not forcing proprietary firmware. The firmware could be entirely open so long as end users couldn't freely modify it on their devices. Competition between baseband manufacturers drives them to keep firmwares proprietary.

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

#496

Post by orestarod »

madacol wrote: post #490
nextos wrote: post #466

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love some of their non-smart devices that can't spy me. For example, their Mijia precision screwdrivers are exceptionally good quality (Wiha heads) and the price is fair. Their phones running Android One are also fine and can be reflashed. But the rest of the items are quite shady. I have sniffed on the network traffic some devices generate and it's quite scary. The same thing applies to other Chinese industrial eq…

How do you reflash those androids?, It's been hard for me trying to find a trustworthy ROM for an Mi A2 Lite

Why not LineageOS?

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

#497

Post by onepointsixC »

amaccuish wrote: post #449
onepointsixC wrote: post #427

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Consider Document Number 9[1], and the fact that the CCP considers your existing Irish political system and liberal ideology as a threat and one which it is actively working to undermine. You already know what it's like living in a world which the US is a dominate super power, that's what the West has experience in the past 70 years and it had created some of the greatest prosperity both the US and West have experien…

> Consider Document Number 9[1], and the fact that the CCP considers your existing Irish political system and liberal ideology as a threat and one which it is actively working to undermine. You have quite literally also just described the US. "China and Communism are a threat which we should seek to undermine". It works both ways.

Xi Jingping considers the promotion of liberal values, human rights, and democracy at their core to be "arrogance, prejudice and hatred". This goes beyond one power vs another, every democracy is under threat.

[1]: https://www.politico.eu/article/xi-jinping-turned-me-into-a-...

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

#498

Post by fsflover »

giantrobot wrote: post #495
fsflover wrote: post #488

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Using wrong spectrum and jamming communications of others can be illegal without forcing proprietary firmware. It's like making all cars illegal, because someone blocks access roads for a fire brigade.

It's not forcing proprietary firmware. The firmware could be entirely open so long as end users couldn't freely modify it on their devices. Competition between baseband manufacturers drives them to keep firmwares proprietary.

Preventing modification of the firmware is like making your car unrepairable and unopenable, so you couldn't mess with it.

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

#499

Post by phh »

lostmsu wrote: post #186
phh wrote: post #109

That's amongst the reason I do my AOSP GSI ( https://github.com/phhusson/treble_experimentations/releases... ; Generic System Image, an Android that works on pretty much all recent Android phones). Xiaomi devices are usually at sweet spots price/performance-wise (not really great hardware imo, but well). With custom ROMs (including my GSIs, but other custom ROMs are fine as well), buy a phone for their hardware, not…

My problem with GSI was last I checked (1 year ago) it still did not support storage encryption (Max 3), and SELinux was off. Awesome project though.

Uh, both have been forever wrong using my GSIs?

I've never made any GSI without storage encryption, and My GSI have always been running SELinux enforcing. Some kinds of GSIs have those kind of issues, but it's only those that are binary ports from OEM ROMs, like port from Xiaomi or OnePlus ROMs, but proper source-based GSIs shouldn't have those issues.

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

#500

Post by lostmsu »

phh wrote: post #499
lostmsu wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My problem with GSI was last I checked (1 year ago) it still did not support storage encryption (Max 3), and SELinux was off. Awesome project though.

Uh, both have been forever wrong using my GSIs? I've never made any GSI without storage encryption, and My GSI have always been running SELinux enforcing. Some kinds of GSIs have those kind of issues, but it's only those that are binary ports from OEM ROMs, like port from Xiaomi or OnePlus ROMs, but proper source-based GSIs shouldn't have those issues.

Hm, I distinctly remember using specifically your GSIs mid 2019 (and would love to return to them) on Mi Max 3.

In early 2020 XDA thread [1] I was suggested to use phh-securise to reenable SELinux, which suggests that it was not enabled by default at least back then. Never got to try phh-securise, since the encryption part of the response was not definitive.

[1] https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-nitrogen-10-10-phh-...

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