Many Chinese apps related to devices are likely transmitting user data like videos, photos to China for storage and processing leaving Indians vulnerable.
After pager explosions in Lebanon, India is treading caution with many citizens using Made in China products. According to reports, India is likely to soon operationalise its orders on sourcing of CCTV cameras, smart metres, parking sensors, drone parts and even laptops and desktops only from trusted locations.
Amid these reports, a LocalCircles survey found that 79 per cent Indian households have one or more Made in China products (mobile phones, laptops, refrigerators, car parts, LED bulbs, etc.) which could pose the risk of spying or surveillance.
Being cheaper with same or fewer features than other competitive smartphones, Chinese phones remain in demand. When asked, “How many Made in China electronics/ electrical products do you have at your home,” the survey data revealed that 79 per cent Indian households have one or more Made in China products (mobile phones, laptops, refrigerators, car parts, LED bulbs, etc). The breakdown of data revealed that 25 per cent of respondents have one or two Made in China gadgets; 21 per cent have up to 5 such products; 4 per cent have 6-10 such products; 2 per cent have over 10 such products, while 27 per cent indicated they have Chinese products but have not counted how many.
In the past, the Indian government has taken steps to protect citizens by banning scores of Chinese apps and products for containing spy ware. In fact, last year in July, cyber security analysts at mobile cyber security company, Pradeo, reported that two apps on Google Play were found with spyware sending data to dubious servers based in China.
A Chinese home surveillance camera installed in an Indian home requires the users to download an app which in most cases is taking home images/videos and storing them to a server in China and when the users wish to retrieve an event the retrieval happens via this server located in China. Similarly, a Made in China air purifier installed in an Indian home can be started or shut via the app that the user must download.
The survey then asked respondents, “Do any of the ‘Made in China’ devices you use, require you or your family to use an app for tracking / viewing data”. Out of 13,353 responses to this query, 37 per cent said “yes”; another 37 per cent stated “no” and the remaining 26 per cent were uncertain.
The survey received over 24,000 responses from household consumers located in 323 districts of India. While 64 per cent respondents were men, 36 per cent respondents were women. Meanwhile, 43 per cent respondents were from tier 1, 35 per cent from tie 2 and 22 per cent respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.
LocalCircles, a Social Media platform, enables citizens and small businesses to escalate issues for policy and enforcement interventions and enables the Government to make policies that are citizen and small business centric.
