Chinese smartphone makers put on notice

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Editor's note: It looks like it’s the Indian government versus Chinese companies once again.  The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, or MeitY, last week sent a notice to the makers of Chinese smartphone brands Vivo, OPPO, Xiaomi and OnePlus, according to three people directly or indirectly aware of the development, who asked not to be named. The ministry has sought data and details about the phones and the components used therein. A second notice that will require testing of these phones is expected to land in coming weeks. The notice seems to be a precursor to the government developing new regulation around mandatory testing of mobile devices, according to a fourth person aware of the ongoing developments. The Economic Times first reported last night that the government is exploring this regulation as part of a broader push to control telecoms equipment over “data security concerns”.  The idea behind the notices and the eventual investigation is purportedly to see if the products sold by these companies are safe for end-users. According to one of the three people quoted above, the notice also …