OnePlus says will stop ‘snooping’ on its users

Responding to reports that the Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus was collecting detailed information about users’ data — both without their permission and making it clear why it was doing so — the company has now said it will scale back its collection efforts.

“We take our users — and their data privacy — very seriously,” OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei posted in a OnePlus forum post late on Sunday.

“The reason we collect some device information is to better provide after-sales support. If you opt out of the user experience programme, your usage analytics will not be tied to your device information,” Pei added.

Many handset makers routinely collect some information on how users are using their devices.

However, a security researcher was alarmed at the amount of user data OnePlus devices were gathering up.

The researcher discovered that the smartphones collected IMEI(s), phone numbers, MAC addresses, mobile network(s) names and IMSI prefixes, apart from wireless network identifying numbers, phone’s serial number and data on what apps were being used and when, The Verge reported last week.