A security firm, NowSecure, discovered that nearly half of Africa’s smartphones are sending hidden user data to China-linked servers. Almost all the smartphones produced by Transsion Holdings contain an embedded telemetry system capable of collecting sensitive information, which includes users’ GPS location, app usage, mobile data consumption, and camera activation events
It means that popular phone brands like Tecno, Infinix, and itel transmit users' data to servers operated by Shalltry, a China-based software company. A typical example is the Tecno Spark 40 smartphone, which transmits GPS coordinates, nearby mobile network tower information, app usage patterns, daily mobile data consumption, and notifications whenever an application activates the camera. These phone makers strategically embedded these permanent device identifiers, which cannot be reset and stay with the phone throughout its lifetime.
Some security analysts have claimed that some of the telemetry may have been designed for good reasons, like fraud prevention and device authentication. But this should be a concern to crypto users since they use apps that are used for financial transactions.
The good news is that the research does not allege that data on passwords, messages, photographs, or financial transactions were collected. However, the government, especially the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), should ensure that personal data of Nigerians is lawfully collected based on local laws and international standards. Any phone maker found violating the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 should be sanctioned accordingly.
https://businessday.ng/technology/article/nearly-half-of-africas-smartphones-found-sending-hidden-user-data-to-china-linked-servers-report-says/
