Athletes at the Beijing Olympics were advised not to use their own cell phones

The American Olympic and Paralympic team got ahead of the oncoming The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing recommended not to use your own cell phones. The information was provided by the portal TheVerge.

The Dutch are also considering destroying smartphones after returning from the Olympics

The alert was reportedly sent twice last year to warn athletes of the possibility of surveillance by the Chinese authorities. You could monitor every device, communication, transaction and online activity. Mobile devices could also be infected with malicious software that can be used to steal personal data.

The United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands were to send the same warning to their athletes. Their concerns are not unfounded. In 2019, China was caught secretly installing spyware on the smartphones of tourists who entered the Xinjiang region. The area is inhabited by Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority whose rights China has long suppressed.

In addition, it was found that the Chinese application My2022 Olympic, which all participants have to install, is full of security holes. This could be abused not only by the Chinese authorities but also by other attackers. The Dutch are even considering destroying their smartphones when they return home because of this application. Most experts also recommend that athletes buy a cheap Android smartphone instead of their own mobile device. .

Athletes are likely to have limited internet access

The US Department of State issued a similar recommendation in 2008 during the Beijing Summer Olympics. And even for all passengers to China, this time the situation is different, as China has banned access for all foreign viewers due to concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus.

However, athletes will definitely want to connect with their families, which could be a problem due to the limitations of the Internet in China. During the 2008 Olympic Games, China promised to offer viewers, journalists and athletes unrestricted access to the web. However, it does not seem to have kept its promise, as it still blocks websites such as Google, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Netflix or Amnesty International.