Topic: I call it digital colonialism (Read 322 times)

Some of the people are just starting to ignore this kind of risk to their information and still using those applications and devices came from those countries who have a risk of their information.

As a consumer sometimes even its already stated on the rights and information still at the end of the day on the terms and condition we are just clicked the "I accept" or "Agree" button because we can't use those platform if we didn't accept those terms.

I thought it was just a trick of profit from the cellphone company vendor. First, they use low prices as a trigger to increase sales, then use advertisements that appear on their phones to profit and install apps without approval, all for the company's benefit. But not all cell phone companies do the same. there are still clean ones without planting malware in their products like Samsung and Huawei.

Better to just not buy anything that isn't from big, recognizable brands. These small cheap brands can be too fresh to have a negative reputation, so if there's no much negative reviews it's still not a guarantee that the device is safe.

And good brands aren't that expensive, with the exception of apple, even Samsung phones can be bought for $100 or a bit less. And you don't have to buy this year's models, the phones from 2-3 years ago are nearly as good as the new ones, the progress has slowed down already.

Don't buy a phone made by a company that is not in the first scandal of this type, remember that when buying something that is way cheaper than the rest it must be a catch somewhere.
Besides, there is an expression, "too poor to buy cheap stuff", in the end, you will end paying up more preparing and replacing that thing than you would have to buy a better and more expensive one from the start.

But how could we avoid this unauthorized downloads and keep our devices free from this digital colonialism.?

So does that mean that everything is fine? Not exactly. If Chinese firms do include backdoors - deliberate secret access points designed for use by phone makers or governments - in their smartphone software, as alleged by Bloomberg and others, then there’s always the potential that the vulnerability will be exploited by a malware author, or that the backdoor will be used for its intended purpose of disrupting communications, silently collecting personal information and so on. Of course, this kind of activity could be perpetrated by dodgy app developers, your non-Chinese smartphone maker or even your local government, so it might be worth following some simple procedures to ensure your data is managed as well as possible.

Firstly, VPN and proxy software like Torcan be used to encrypt your web activity, making it harder (but not impossible) for anyone to find out what sites you’re visiting, what internet searches you’re making and so on. There are also privacy-oriented search engines like DuckDuckGo that pledge not to collect personal data. You can also install apps like MalwareBytes to scan your apps for malware and make sure that nothing untoward is happening under your nose.

Recent versions of Android also alert you when an app tries to access your microphone, camera, phone or storage, so don’t blindly accept these prompts - think about the requests critically and deny the ones that don’t make sense, like a flashlight app needing access to your dialer. Along similar lines, try to exercise good judgment by not installing software by unknown developers, especially those distributed outside of the Google Play marketplace as .APK files.

Reading the news is also good practice. Sites like El Reg and /r/netsec on Redditwill often be the first to report potentially malicious apps or operating system vulnerabilities, so by keeping abreast of the headlines, you’ll be quicker to react to potential problems - and you’ll get a better idea of what you should be looking out for.

And finally, yes - choosing an American or Korean-made phone over a Chinese alternative may make you and your data a little safer. Samsung, Apple and BlackBerry all include relatively advanced security features in their phones and the first two aren’t Chinese companies. There are even distributions of Android that include more privacy features, like CopperheadOS and LineageOS, which can be worth looking into.

I noticed this in techno Y2. It keeps downloading without your knowledge and you can't trace what was downloaded.
Could that be a factory fault? Lol

I must be in a real mess then as I am hooked on the Tecno brand. I like the durability and stoic nature of Tecno phones. I just wish I could begin to wean myself off that now.

But many smartphone these days actively collect your data and serve invasive ads, unless you bought one from expensive and reputable brand or bother use custom ROM that you can trust.

I think we can all see the obvious fall in price of technological products especially phones and computer accessories. I'm not saying fall in price isn't good but so we can also see maybe the other side of it.

I experience this data loses a lot and even discover some rapid app installation on my device and I'm like,
How did this get here...?
The worst part of it is that, even after deleting it, it keeps coming back after a few days of me being connected to a network. It's a serious problem.
How safe can someone get, if your not in total control of your device..?!

But what can be done to prevent this, since mobile phones are now an integral part of our existence?

So, did it mention what brands of smartphones has been into this activities with china? I hope so my phone did not have any malware in it because I notice too that I have huge data consumption.

It was another sale for Transsion, the Chinese company that makes Tecno and other low-priced smartphones, as well as basic handsets, for the developing world.

So, did it mention what brands of smartphones has been into this activities with china?

But what can be done to prevent this, since mobile phones are now an integral part of our existence? I guess this is also applicable with laptops.

  When Mxolosi saw a Tecno W2 smartphone in a store in Johannesburg, South Africa, he was attracted to its looks and functionality. But what really drew him in was the price, roughly $30 — far less than comparable models from Samsung, Nokia, or Huawei, Africa’s other top brands.

“They’re very attractive and appealing to your eyes,” Mxolosi, who asked for his last name not to be used to protect his personal safety, told BuzzFeed News. “Honestly, I was a Samsung fan but I said, ‘Let me try this new product.’”

Hopefully sooner or later people will start becoming more conscious about security and privacy against China.