Team USA is warning athletes ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing, China to leave their normal cell phones at home and instead “use burner phones as a precaution against possible surveillance”:
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo endorsed the step, tweeting “when my team & I traveled to China, we left our phones at home. Smart of Team USA to do the same, but it is only a step to mitigating risk. Our athletes’ safety is still in jeopardy”:
Shouldn’t this be bigger news though?
And it’s not just the Americans telling athletes to do this:
Journos, too, are being urged to take precautions to maintain their “digital security”:
From CPJ:
Top digital security tips for journalists at the Beijing Olympics
Leave your devices home. Wipe an old phone and laptop or purchase new ones for the trip.
In case of restrictions, ask journalists in China which apps and VPNs work for them.
Create a new work email specifically for the trip.
Assume your hotel room is under surveillance.
Keep your devices with you and avoid leaving them unattended.
Wipe all devices on your return.
Welp. It’s a good thing we’re *rewarding* China for this behavior. Just cancel the games already.
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Mike Pompeo endorses Team USA’s use of burner phones at the Beijing Olympics
