CHINA TOPIX

05/07/2024 09:51:27 pm

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Chinese Suing Samsung: Smartphone Maker Samsung To Be Sued By Consumer Organization For Breaching Privacy

Samsung Smartphone

(Photo : Reuters) Consumer watchdogs in China are planning to sue Samsung and Oppo as they are found pre-installing apps in mobiles before selling it to customers, saying that this is actually breaching the privacy of the user as no consent is asked for.

Consumer watchdogs in China are planning to sue Samsung and Oppo as they are found pre-installing apps in mobiles before selling it to customers, saying that this is actually breaching the privacy of the user as no consent is asked for. The apps could be unwanted and are a direct infringement of the customers right to know.

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According to ZD Net, the Shanghai Consumer Rights Protection Commission has said that smartphone makers Samsung and Oppo have been found guilty of infringing on the basic consumer right of letting them know by selling phones with pre-installed apps. The report says that both smartphone makers could be installing unwanted apps. The startling news came forth when the organization conducted a study of twenty smartphones. The sad news is that many of these apps can't be uninstalled. The two smartphone models that have been found to not abide by the rules are Samsung SM-N9008S that had 44 pre-installed apps, and an Oppo X9007 with 71 apps.

With buyers not being informed, this clearly becomes a case of infringement of their rights. The consumer rights protection commission is seeking legal damages and is also asking Samsung, as well as Oppo, to clarify these details to the customers at the time of making the purchase.

Additionally, the authority is also saying that the buyers should be informed on the instructions through which of these apps may be uninstalled. Tao Ailian, secretary general of the Shanghai Consumer Rights Body who filed the lawsuit against the leading smartphone makers, said that this was an attempt to protect the rights of the consumers. He also said that through this move, other smartphone companies who are imposing such unreasonable demands on the consumer are forced to rethink their strategy. All this is expected to promote the healthy development of the industry.

Another report on Slash Gear said that the consumer rights organization started investigating the matter after receiving repeated complaints from harassed consumers who said that the companies were not specifying anything about these apps on the package.These apps are using phone data in the background which could compromise on the security of the gadget. 

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