An investigative report by Norwegian broadcaster NRK discovered that due to a coding error, certain Nokia smartphones have been collecting sensitive user data and sending it to a server in China belonging to China Telecom. The information included GPS coordinates, network information and the phone’s serial and SIM card numbers.
It seems the code was exclusively written for phones sold in China as a way of complying with Chinese data collection legislation. Due to an alleged error, the code made it onto other Nokia phones as well. HMD Global, the Finnish company that has been marketing phones under the Nokia brand since late 2016, is being investigated in Finland over the alleged mistake.
Read more: Nokia firmware blunder sent some user data to China
