Global reports of data theft by smartphone makers prompted govt vigilance

Studies showed how data from China-made phones went to home country, triggering India's probe

The recent directive of the government to smartphone companies, a majority of them from China, to share the security architecture they followed while making devices came after a few international reports cited instances of data theft by Chinese firms.

According to government sources, it became a matter of concern when a US-based security firm, Kryptowire, reported in November last year that a Chinese company named Shanghai AdUps has been sending massive data about phones and users to servers in China. AdUps runs software updates and comes pre-installed in many devices sourced from China.

Although the report cited security flaws on