Burner Phones at the Olympics

🏂❄️ The 2022 Winter Olympics kick off in Beijing 11 days from today. And when they do, many athletes will have gone the route of Jason Bourne – burner phones only, baby.

• Recent guidance from the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee is advising its participating athletes to use burner phones instead of their own devices while in China over surveillance and hacking concerns, the WSJ reports.
• Research group Citizen Lab found that China’s My2022 Olympic app, which all attendees are required to install, is full of security holes that could lead to privacy breaches, surveillance, and hacking.
• China is known to technologically surveil its population, restrict access to sites on the internet, and often censors social media as well. It was also caught two years ago secretly installing spyware on tourists’ phones who entered from the Xinjiang region – the very same region at the center of the US’ diplomatic boycott of the Games.
• But using temporary phones could complicate athletes’ efforts to stay in touch with family and friends, who are barred from attending the Games due to a ban on overseas spectators. Social media promotion is also crucial for landing and maintaining sponsorships.

+More context: It’s not out of the ordinary for national Olympic officials to warn constituents about potential cyber dangers. A large gathering of officials and famous people presents an attractive target for hackers, no matter its location.

+In the know: Some countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, will provide disposable devices to their delegations.

+For a preview of the 2022 Winter Games: Just click here.

+A fun fact for the road: The Beijing Olympics will be the first to rely completely on artificial snow, per Bloomberg Green.