I think it comes down to which companies and governments are on the other end. I'm far from trusting the US government, but I trust the Chinese government even less.

There is a natural tendency to compare and contrast. And especially in cases where people are speculating about political motives, you're going to see that.

> Or Google being spyware somehow makes Xiaomi spyware less shitty?

Absolutely not, but both of them doing it defangs certain types of criticism.

>What does Google have to do with Xiaomi spyware?

False equivalence. If people in here actually broke down the differences, they would have to admit that their "Grr, Google just as bad!" hyperbole is more than just a tad disingenuous.