Oppo, realme apologise after coming under fire over embedded loan app
Two mobile phone brands – Oppo and realme – apologised to consumers on Saturday for installing an informal loan application, “Fineasy”, on their mobile phones.
The apology came after their customers found the irremovable application, which can send notifications and have access to users’ personal information like their contacts, installed in their mobile phones.
The Thailand Consumers Council claimed that the users could not prevent access to personal information effectively due to the embedded application, saying that installing software without users’ permission is a violation of consumer rights.
The council urged relevant agencies, such as the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission and the Bank of Thailand, to tackle this issue as it could lead to financial abuse and call-centre scams.
According to statements, both Oppo and realme apologised for the infiltration, saying that they were cooperating with relevant agencies to tackle this issue.
They confirmed that the loan feature had been removed from the Fineasy application, leaving only functions for facilitating daily lives.
Mobile phone brands said they were accelerating allowing users to remove the Fineasy application on their own, adding that users could contact the brands’ service centres nationwide if they want to remove the application immediately.
Oppo and realme also promised they would not install loan-related applications in their mobile phones, and would stop recommending them on application markets.
The issue has gone viral on social media, with most netizens showing their distrust of those brands, or declaring that they would never use mobile phones from these two brands again.
