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| US fears Chinese oversight at the Olympics |
The US Olympic and Paralympic committees are asking athletes to give up their personal cell phones in favor of non-smartphones ahead of the Winter Olympics in China next month, the Wall Street Journal reports.
A non-smartphone is a cheap phone that the owner usually does not want to use for a long time and can be destroyed or disposed of when you no longer need it.
Criminals often use these types of cell phones to evade detection by authorities.
You can use a phone other than a smartphone for privacy, as a last resort, or in case of emergency. Once the device is suspected of being hacked, the device will be disposed of.
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committees issued warnings last year that athletes in China could be subject to digital monitoring.
The warning states that every device, connection, transaction, and online activity can be monitored. Your device can also be affected by malware, which could negatively affect its use in the future.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands have warned athletes not to bring their personal electronic devices into the country.
The commission's concerns are unfounded, as China secretly installed spyware on the phones of tourists from Xinjiang in 2019.
In addition, the research group Citizen Lab found that the China My2022 Olympics app, which all participants must install, has vulnerabilities that can lead to privacy violations, surveillance and hacking.
USA takes precautions against technical oversight
When Beijing hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, the US Department of Homeland Security issued a similar warning to all travelers to China.
At the time, the department warned that wearing the devices would expose them to unauthorized access. It may also expose them to data theft by criminals or foreign government agents.
But things are different this time as China banned all foreign viewers due to coronavirus concerns.
Athletes are more likely to rely on their mobile devices to keep in touch with friends and family. It can be more difficult for non-smartphones that have restrictions on data, texts and calls.
But even if Olympic athletes want to use their phones to surf the web, they may not have unlimited access.
During the 2008 Olympics, China pledged to give viewers, journalists and athletes unrestricted access to the Internet, as the Great Chinese Firewall currently blocks many popular US websites such as Google, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Netflix.
However, China does not appear to be keeping its promise. Journalists report that they are still unable to access certain websites. Including BBC China, some Hong Kong newspapers and Amnesty International.
China again said it provides uncensored internet access to athletes and journalists. However, it is unclear whether the state will continue to block some sites.