Aside from the numbers of the omicron and gold medals, athletes who arrive in Beijing for the Winter Games next month may have one more thing to worry about: Is it safe to access the Internet in china?
Beijing has promised the world’s top athletes access to the internet, which is partially restricted during the Olympics, which began in Feb. 4, overthrows the Great Firewall which blocks services such as Facebook and YouTube from official sites and hotels. But security experts say there are reasons to be cautious.
Chinese companies that specialize in data collection, surveillance and artificial intelligence are among the sponsors and official providers of the Winter Olympics. Washington and its allies have blamed some of the companies that provide network management and data management, including Huawei Technologies Co. and Iflytek Co., which may be used for espionage or surveillance of a few people in Xinjiang.
Huawei and his peers deny the allegations, but online safety advisers warn that such programs will put athletes in the same position to monitor, monitor movement and monitor the many Chinese citizens they face.
Among the concerns are the risk that national actors or criminals could use Wi-Fi hotspots to detect private communications or install malicious software and other malware on personal devices. That could expose the victims – in sports and politics – to the next attack.
A growing number of delegates are taking seriously what could be dangerous. Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada are among the delegates advising athletes to keep their equipment off of Wi-Fi networks and to use warm phones if possible. And the U.S. has issued a warning to American athletes that their products may be at risk of malicious software, with unknown consequences for future use.
“My advice to athletes would be to buy a second cheap phone and not use your main iPhone or Android app,” said Larry Diamond, senior partner at Hoover Institution at Stanford University. “We do not know where this is going. The only thing we know is that China is creating a very sensitive digital environment, and I don’t think people should be offended by taking their tools to communicate that. ”
The Beijing Planning Committee dismissed the reported advice given to athletes, saying, “This is completely unfounded and this concern is completely unnecessary.” The committee said China has enacted several cybersecurity laws that provide for the protection of the privacy and data security of its citizens and foreign visitors.
The Chinese government is blocking the Internet to keep control of public speaking at home. The reduction was blocked as part of a pledge to make the Games “simple, safe and extravagant” – an opportunity for the country to showcase its growing economic and political power.
But its alleged record of keeping companies under surveillance, such as looking at a few people in Xinjiang, raised the bar. Athletes with world profiles represent targets with a high number of cyberspies and bad characters and may turn on their equipment for long-term tracking, Diamond said.
It is dangerous because of the “widespread data collection culture associated with China,” said David Robinson, founder of cybersecurity company Internet 2.0. “If athletes do not want the Chinese government to be able to identify their standard phone, using a new phone will prevent the collection of sensitive data.”
One of the 5G technology providers is Huawei, a U.S.-sanctioned company. and others at the center of the conflict in Washington-Beijing. That is in partnership with China’s official telecommunications provider Unicom Beijing, whose parent is listed on the Treasury Department’s list of complex Chinese military companies and industries.
Another Iflytek, a specialized supplier of automatic speech transcripts, was added to the US ban list in 2019 – banning the sale of American technology without a permit – by engaging in human rights abuses in Xinjiang. It will use artificial intelligence and big data to “provide real-time analysis and resource allocation” at Olympic-related facilities and events, Iflytek said on its website.
The game’s anti-virus software provider, Qi An Xin, will use a central hub that provides “complete coverage and high quality network security,” the company said in a statement. The majority shareholder, Qi Xiangdong, is the founder of Qihoo 360, approved in 2020. Qi An Xin will be identified by data crossing the network – which includes overseas traffic, Robinson said. In an analysis of Qi An Xin’s mobile security software, Internet 2.0 reported that “a significant amount of user data is being collected by the software.” Qi Xiangdong parted ways with Qihoo 360 in 2019.
Representatives of Huawei and Iflytek did not respond to requests for comment. Qi An Xin said he had no shareholder or business relationship with Qihoo and postponed requests for information to the Beijing Olympic Committee.
Another company, Kingsoft Office Software, provides Gaming office software, according to its website. The company was one of those targeted for the administration order by former US President Donald Trump in 2021, when he blocked US transactions with several Chinese applications including WeChat Pay and Alipay due to concerns about personal data collection. The order was revoked months later by President Joe Biden, who instead ordered a review of national security applications.
A Kingsoft representative did not respond to a request for comment.
Some countries have already taken security measures. Australia will provide its Wi-Fi “to our designated areas provided by our IT branch,” said a spokesman for the Australian Olympic Committee. Belgium has recommended that its athletes not bring their electronic goods to China.
Dutch athletes have received similar warnings. And Team Canada members have been reminded that the Games “present a unique opportunity for cybercrime,” the Canadian Olympic Committee said in a statement. It too is recommending its athletes leave personal devices at home and to limit the personal information stored on devices they bring to China.
“In regards to the so-called national security questions regarding Huawei, Iflytek and other tech companies, China’s relevant departments have already repeatedly refuted this issue, but the U.S. has continued to use this as a pretense to suppress Chinese high-tech companies,” the Beijing committee said in an email. “This kind of bullying is bound to be increasingly resisted and opposed by the international community.”