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The National Communications Commission, in a
report concluding the investigation, said all the 12 brands it
had tested, which include handsets sold by Apple Inc, Samsung
Electronics Co Ltd, LG Electronics Inc and Sony Corp, did not
violate the laws.
James Lou, an NCC official who was involved in the testing, said
the commission, however, would request mobile phone makers make
information transmission more secure.
The probe, which also involved Chinese handset makers Huawei
Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp, was a reminder of the scrutiny
Chinese technology firms are subject to abroad as governments
become increasingly wary of potential cyber security threats
from the world's second-biggest economy.
It also highlights Taiwan's sensitivity to security issues
involving China, its largest trading partner but one which has
never renounced the use of force to take back what it deems a
renegade province.
Privately owned Xiaomi, whose budget smartphones are popular
throughout Asia, was previously accused of breaching data
privacy. In August, the company apologized and said it would
change a default feature after a Finnish security company said
Xiaomi collected address book data without users' permission.
In September, Taiwan's government began performing independent
tests on Xiaomi phones after media reports said that some models
automatically send user data back to the firm's servers in
mainland China.
The probe was then widened to include local and foreign
handsets. The NCC report said handsets made by local firms HTC
Corp, Asustek Computer Inc, Far EasTone Telecommunications Co
Ltd, Taiwan Mobile Co Ltd and U.S.-based InFocus Corp, whose
handsets are made by Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd,
were also cleared of breaching the data protection laws.
(Editing by Miral Fahmy)
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