According to this article there are several cheap android phones coming out of China preinstalled with malware in their firmware. However, it is not exactly listing which phones. But gives a guess as to which ones may be safe.
https://www.theregister.com/2023/05/...nt=top-article


Some more info
https://gridinsoft.com/blogs/malware...re-of-android/

Cheap phones are a great thing, not everybody can afford a new Apple or Android or whatever phone.
We have the most amazing tech at our fingertips, a device that can access the "World brain" on a whim.
Then somebody comes along and destroys it.

Could be more anti-China propoganda especially coming from a UK source.

Sorry. Which phones is it then that don't spy on you, monitor every keystroke you type in and listen on the microphone, read your emails and send your backed up data to be scanned and analysed ?

One time I worked for a major telecom supplier and we were happily distributing malware to our customers in our software updates after someone hacked our software copying system.

Don't worry. There's people who voluntarily installs Telegram on their i-phones. I'd laugh, but they keep bad people busy so they don't have time to look at cheaper phones.

What's wrong with Telegram? Not that I use it. Only heard about it.

Expensive too... I'm always amused how people's vision is obscured by the media. It's OK to show everything, all your professional, personal, intimate affiars to Google, Apple, Amazon, but hey those bloody bastards form China or Russia shouldn't get any byte from my phone




but yes, apart from "paranoia" of sharing data to just improve the services in anonymous way to the East/Asia companies, all governments are implanting spyware on any kind of systems just to hope it gets into the hands of their targets, if you're just an expat Joe enjoying your fondue up in the Alps, nobody would care about your data, at least not these guys

Samsung make a phone for every budget, ranging from CHF 200 to CHF 1900. I would just stick with them if I was buying an Android handset.

It's not as secure as Whatsapp or Signal - the data is unenrypted on their servers. But otherwise it seems ok.

That's pretty bad. Use Threema myself. Only problem is getting others to use it. Only problem is getting others to use it.

https://threema.ch/en

Depends on how wealthy you are and if you do mobile banking, keep passwords, etc., etc.. Can also have your identity stolen and misused. But hey! What's so important about that?

Telegram is Russian made software, think about it...

But well the entire western world will get a sharp wakeup call if we truly do fall out with China. They've had more than a decade to install unfriendly chips in all manner of equipment leaving plenty of scope to cash in their chips.

It took a pandemic for the western governments of the world to realise China was manufacturing everything; and only now are they starting to look into the risks.

Anything you own that is electronic and made in China is a potential disrupter. I say made, it could be just assembled there too.

Thinking a little more about this I was reminded of the Netflix documentary on the Boston bombers. Within it turns out that the police caught the individuals responsible using tracking technology built into a German car, a Mercedes I believe. It tech I know is built into my vehicle too a BMW.

The Boston bombers had hijacked a car and were using it to try to escape, this was in 2013, some ten years ago. The owner was initially with them, but managed to make a run for it at a petrol station and had alerted the police, who contacted Mercedes who turned on tracking remotely.

With said tracking running the police where able to watch exactly where the vehicle was heading; although what happened next caught everyone by surprise, watch the documentary.

Now take a moment to consider that Elon Musk, a man who has publicly suggested Taiwan is part of China has setup a factory in mainland China to build Tesla cars. Do they contain tracking tech, who do you think has the blue prints for what is installed where? And a car is full of all the equipment you need for this. A microphone, a constantly recharging battery, speakers should you need them. Tech that is install on executive vehicles by default, cars driven by well paid people, important people, people with power; but more often than not no tech sense.

I am sure everyone here has read the story about the large group of Russian soldiers killed in the near year, their location evident from their mobile phones, tracking technology.

You may have read the story about the Terrorist leader killed on his balcony by a drone, tracking technology.

And what of those Apple tags in the news that are being used to stalk women mostly, tracking technology.

It's ironic that all of those senators questioning the TikTok man at that US inquisition would have been driving cars with tracking technology installed within them. How difficult would it be for China to identify who was driving what where at what time... sure TikTok is am issue, but its the tip of the iceberg.

This was not an individual being tracked. It was a bunch of phones in proximity. The soldiers had been warned to keep their phones turned off


Apple’s software alerts anyone being tracked. But very useful devices for tracking suitcases and cars

Any tool can be misused but there are steps people can do to protect themselves. For example Apple’s Location Services is turned off by default and allows it to be on only when using the app concerned.

It was tracking technology, it is tracking technology; be one or a dozen individuals. They tracked their location.

Two more examples, my daughter knows who looks at her instagram account; tracking tech. And I get notified on a daily basis who has looked at my LinkedIn account, more tracking tech. Sure it isn't giving my location or is it, photos frequently contain geo-location data.

Not tracking, they targeted the broadcasts. Radio signals being sent. Old technology since WWI.

Instagram, facebook, etc = evil. I don’t use them. I’m protecting myself.

In the end scene of the movie "The Imitation Game" the hero of the piece Turing meets with the head of MI6 to agree with him that they should not tell the army, the air force or the navy or even the government they have cracked the enigma code.

No, they need to come up with a plausible explanation for every success they execute using statistics and old school counter espionage to explain how they found out their targeting information.

COVID19 may have been the wake up call for the US army to realise too much stuff was being sourced from China; but the war in Ukraine has shown it the real danger here. If you can track your enemies movements, then you can target them. It's been one of the reasons the HIMARS attacks have been so successful, and the reason why the UK supplying STORM SHADOWS, long range missiles has got our Russians on the run, literally.

every car has this technology today.
my Mazda has SOS button for help if something happens, it should call directly to Mazda center.
and let's not forget the watches too. my sister had an accident with her bicycle. my brother-in-law got the message that something happened at the exact point where she is.

if someone thinks that our every step is not known today, they are IMHO naive. unfortunately, I know a couple of that types of people.

You could argue about what the problem is with a western government tracking you. As long as you are not doing anything nefarious you are alright. According to THX1138 in this brave new world of ours.