HMD Global faces probe after Nokia 7 caught sending sensitive data to China

Finland’s data protection watchdog is investigating Nokia phones’ owner HMD Global after reports claimed that its devices mysteriously sent data to Chinese servers.

“The probe follows a report by Norway’s public broadcaster NRK in which it claimed to have proof that Nokia phones are transmitting sensitive information to China based on a tip from a Nokia owner.

“The man in question, Henrik Austad, said he’d been monitoring the traffic from his Nokia 7 only to find it was sending unencrypted information to a Chinese server while switched on. The sensitive data included his location, as well as the SIM card number and the phone’s serial number,” the Engadget reported late on Thursday.