Finland is probing Nokia phones sending data to China

Finnish authorities will launch an investigation into claims that Nokia phones have been transmitting users’ personal data to China, the country’s data protection ombudsman announced on Thursday.

“Based on our initial analysis it appears that personal data has also been transferred (to China),” Reijo Aarnio, Finland’s data protection ombudsman, told the news agency STT.

The Norwegian broadcaster NRK published claims on Thursday that data from Nokia’s 7 Plus mobile phones, including location information and serial numbers, has been sent to servers of the state-owned company China Telecom.

“The idea is that data moves freely within the EU, but when we go outside the EU, there must always be a legal basis,” Aarnio said.