Realme's Data Collection Practices Under Scrutiny Amid Privacy Concerns

Chinese smartphone maker Realme is facing scrutiny from the Indian government over concerns about its data collection practices and potential privacy violations. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Information Technology and Electronics has ordered an investigation into Realme's "Enhanced Intelligent Services" feature that automatically collects sensitive user data when the device is set up.

The concerns, initially raised by Twitter user Rishi Bagree, indicate that Realme's data collection feature is enabled by default, without obtaining explicit consent from users. It is a departure from standard privacy practices, where users are typically given a choice to opt in or opt out of data collection.

Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar responded to Rishi Bagree's tweet, expressing his intention to investigate and test the matter.

Realme's parent company, BBK Electronics also owns other major Chinese smartphone brands sold in India, including Vivo, Oppo, OnePlus, and iQoo. Upon further investigation, phones from OnePlus running OxygenOS 13 also have the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature. However, we couldn't find the same on OnePlus phones running OxygenOS 12.

By design, the Enhanced Intelligent Services setting on a Realme smartphone is hard to spot as the option is in the system settings option.

The main worry, however, for users is where the collected data is being sent. While Realme is a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, it's important to note that data collection alone does not confirm that the data is being sent to servers in China. However, without explicit information from Realme about data storage and transmission, it is challenging to definitively determine where the collected data is being sent.

According to Counterpoint Research, Realme's market share has declined, with the brand slipping to fifth place with a 9% share.

As the government initiates a probe into Realme's data collection practices, the focus is now on the company to provide transparency and address the concerns surrounding user privacy.

Also Read: Realme India CEO Madhav Sheth Resigns; Will Join Honor India