Worried about “malicious cyber activities,” the FBI is asking Olympic athletes to leave their personal cell phones at home and instead take burner phones to the Games.
“The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phones at home and use a temporary phone while at the games. The National Olympic Committees in some Western countries are also advising their athletes to leave personal devices at home or use temporary phones due to cybersecurity concerns at the Games,” the agency said in a notice.
While not aware of “any specific cyber threat against the Olympics” the FBI added that it’s important that those at the games be “vigilant and maintain best practices in their network and digital environments.”
This comes not just because of ongoing concerns about Chinese intellectual property theft but also due to the fact that China spies on its own people with cameras everywhere, facial recognition software and surveillance tech.