In an interview with TV3's Laser in September, Kingo (EKRE) admitted she was still using a Huawei phone to access and read emails without two-step verification.

This is despite the fact that at the end of last year, the RIA, the state information system agency under the authority of IT Minister Kingo, announced that it would no longer recommend using Huawei equipment in the state office.

Speaking on Laser, Kingo said she was in no hurry to replace her Huawei phone because and did not want to use tax payers' money to buy a new one, "Nor do I have such sensitive data on my phone that would require a higher level of security," Kingo said, while admitting to reading work emails on her device.

As a result of the criticism following the broadcast, the minister's telephone was replaced with an iPhone, Delfi's ärileht.ee portal reported, her previous Huawei phone was also a Riigikogu work phone.

Huawei, a Chinese brand, has been widely criticised and claims have been made the telecoms company is being used by the Chinese government for espionage.

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