German IT security watchdog: No evidence of censorship function in Xiaomi phones

BERLIN - Germany's federal cybersecurity watchdog, the BSI, did not find any evidence of censorship functions in mobile phones manufactured by China's Xiaomi Corp, a spokesperson said on Thursday.

Lithuania's state cybersecurity body had said in September that Xiaomi phones had a built-in ability to detect and censor terms such as "Free Tibet", "Long live Taiwan independence" or "democracy movement". The BSI started an examination following these accusations, which lasted several months.

"As a result, the BSI was unable to identify any anomalies that would require further investigation or other measures," the BSI spokesperson said.