The science and technology ministry has said that it will decide if civil servants should be banned from using Xiaomi cellphones in three months. Xiaomi phones are produced by a Chinese manufacturer and every one of the phones allegedly transmits user data automatically to the company's servers in Beijing.
Xiaomi has admitted that its phones automatically transmit data to its Beijing server, but claims the feature has been shut off as of August 10.
The ministry said the National Communications Commission is now testing the Xiaomi phones and will decide whether civil servants should be allowed to use these Chinese phones in three months.
The technology ministry is also testing out a messaging app called Juiker, developed by the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute. This is because the Cabinet has instructed civil servants not to use popular messaging app LINE to transmit sensitive or confidential information due to security concerns. Juiker has been proposed as an alternative and some officials have begun to use it.