Asian Tech Press (Sep 23) -- Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi Corp (1810.HK) denied on Wednesday allegations by Lithuania that its devices have built-in features to detect and censor users.

Lithuania's state-run cybersecurity agency said on Tuesday that Xiaomi has a built-in feature to detect and censor some sensitive terms inside its flagship phones sold in Europe, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

In response, a Xiaomi spokesman said Wednesday its devices do not censor communications to or from their users.

"Xiaomi has never, and will never, restrict or block any personal behavior of our smartphone users, such as searching, calling, web browsing or the use of third-party communication software," the statement said.

The spokesperson emphasized in the statement, "Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users. And Xiaomi complies with the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)."

In addition to Xiaomi phones, Lithuania's Defense Ministry also investigated two Chinese-branded phones, one from Huawei and one from Oppo's OnePlus, and found a "potential risk" in the Huawei P40 phone.

Huawei's representative in the Baltic states told Estonian news agency Baltic News Service (BNS) that Huawei P40 does not send user data to outsiders.

Data released by Strategy Analytics, a global communications market research firm, showed that Xiaomi's sales in Europe jumped nearly 70% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2021, reaching a 25% market share.

Strategy Analytics experts believe thatXiaomi's feature-rich, value smartphones have won the favor of European consumers and gained market recognition in Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Italy and other places.