Some athletes have been dissuaded by their authorities from carrying their personal phones, Britain worrying about possible espionage attempts by the Chinese government.
It is agreed that British officials and diplomats will not travel to Beijing for the Games, due to China’s abysmal human rights record. Many of the mobile phones and other personal computers belonging to UK athletes should not be on the trip either.
According to Telegraph, the British delegation leaving for the Winter Olympics, which begin on February 4, have been warned against bringing their own cell phones and other gadgets to Beijing, fearing that the Chinese authorities will install software spies to extract private information or track their activities.
“We have given athletes and staff practical advice so that they can decide for themselves whether or not to bring their personal devices to the Games. When they don’t want to bring their own gear, we provide them with temporary devices to use.”, explains a spokesperson for the British Olympic Association (BOA), the British National Olympic Committee.
During the Games, members of the Great Britain team – and those of other nations – should still be able to post on their usual social networks. The Chinese authorities had announced that they would establish access in the great Chinese firewall which generally blocks access to Facebook and Twitter for athletes, accredited and foreign media visiting Beijing.
The use of optional telephones will therefore aim to prevent the authorities from accessing the data stored on the athletes’ personal devices. We are talking about messages, training schedules, medical records, contacts, photos… Even installing software to monitor their activities or future movements.
‘I can’t imagine putting a coin in a phone to keep in touch with home’
The BOA is not the only National Olympic Committee to warn its athletes. His Dutch counterpart has issued the same recommendations to the Olympic group of the Netherlands, reports the Dutch site Volkskrant. Telephones and computers provided by the Dutch Olympic Committee for temporary use will be destroyed once the competition is over.
The measure obviously caused a reaction in Holland. Some athletes wonder if they will still be able to communicate with those close to them. “I have a family, I have a 6 year old son. I can’t imagine we’ll have to put a coin in a phone to keep in touch with home.”, says speed skater Hein Otterspeer at Volkskrant, who also asked the opinion of his compatriot on the ice, Thomas Krol. “I want to be able to bring my phone, my laptop and a PlayStation console. It shouldn’t be a major problem. I can’t believe a country is going to spy on thousands of coaches and athletes for three and a half weeks otherwise it would be an international scandal.”
The first British and Dutch athletes are expected to start traveling to Beijing next week, a fortnight before the start of the Winter Games (February 4-20).
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