Warning: *Privacy Not Included with this product
Huawei FreeBuds Pro
If you're looking for noise-cancelling earbuds with lots of modes, here you go. These little buds have an ultra mode for traveling, a cozy mode for keeping you focused, and a general mode for general stuff, we suppose. Voice mode lets you hear voices (not the ones in your head). And then there is the AI Life app that lets you choose from all these different modes as well as discover the location of your little headphones if they go missing. One thing we’re afraid these little earphones probably don’t come with is a privacy mode.
What could happen if something goes wrong?
Huawei's 5G technology is blocked in the US, as the company is labeled a national security threat in the country. Many other countries have issued bans on some of Huawei’s technology too. What does that mean for Huawei's fitness bands that are still popular in Europe and elsewhere around the world? For us, it raises some serious privacy questions.
Huawei collects and shares a large amount of data. They also say they can collect and share data about you from public and commercial sources. One way they share this data is with their business partners, who can use it to make predictions about your interests and send you ads. That’s a lot of data collection and sharing.
And while China has recently put in place a sweeping new privacy protection law, there are questions about how much access the Chinese government has to personal information collected and stored within China. All in all, it seems to us there are safer options for fitness trackers when it comes to protecting your privacy and security.
Tips to protect yourself
- Consider using your headphones without connecting it to an app. This way, you may decrease amount of data collected
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: No
App: Yes
Microphone
Device: Yes
App: Yes
Tracks location
Device: No
App: Yes
What can be used to sign up?
Yes
Phone
Yes
Third-party account
No
What data does the company collect?
Personal
Name, email address, mobile number, shipping address, location
Body related
Social
How does the company use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?
In January 2020, Huawei reported a vulnerability regarding encryption of its phones.
There are also several reports of Huawei participating in development of technologies with questionable ethics. In 2020, it was reported that Huawei developed AI software used to suppress Uighur minorities in China. In 2019, the company was linked to building wireless networks in North Korea.
Huawei is labeled a national security threat by the United States
Can this product be used offline?
User-friendly privacy information?
Links to privacy information
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
Strong password
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
Huawei has a bug bounty program. They also have a dedicated Product Security Incident Response Team.
Privacy policy
Does the product use AI?
Is this AI untrustworthy?
What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?
Is the company transparent about how the AI works?
Does the user have control over the AI features?
Dive Deeper
-
Huawei tested AI software that could recognize Uighur minorities and alert police, report saysWash
-
Leaked documents reveal Huawei’s secret operations to build North Korea’s wireless networkThe Washington Post
-
The Huawei ban explained: A complete timeline and everything you need to knowAndroid Authority
-
Sweden Becomes Latest – and Among Most Forceful – to Ban Huawei From 5GThe Diplomat
-
US designates Huawei, four other Chinese tech firms national security threatsDW
-
Ignore China’s New Data Privacy Law at Your PerilWired
Comments
Got a comment? Let us hear it.