By John Tanner
Chinese handset maker Oppo has reportedly apologised to customers in Thailand after admitting to the telecoms regulator that its devices came with pre-installed loan apps that had not been approved by the Bank of Thailand (BOT).
According to The Nation, Oppo and its sub-brand RealMe confessed to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) last week that apps such as Fineasy and Happiness Loan had been installed on its phones for sale in the country without BOT approval.
The pre-installation of the unauthorised apps also ran afoul of the Personal Data Protection Committee, which has requested a detailed report by January 16 on the personal data collected through Fineasy.
According to the report, Fineasy is owned by a Chinese company Wealth Hope, which is registered in Singapore and linked to Shenzen Yufei Technology Corp, which has been criticised for limited online transparency.
Senior executive VP of Thai Oppo Co, Chanon Jirayukul said on Friday the company has removed all pre-installed loan apps from its handsets, and has started pushing over-the-air (OTA) software updates that will enable current users to delete the apps from their devices. the report said.
Chanon also said cloud data related to the Fineasy app has been deleted, and that Oppo will no longer pre-install loan apps on its devices, the report added.
