many of cyber security Experts highlighted potential data security issues to attendees at FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Norway’s Chief of Security, Oyvind Vasasen Tell NRK (Opens in a new tab): “It is not my duty to give travel advice, but I personally would not bring my mobile phone on a visit to Qatar,” likening the scope of official applications to giving someone the keys to your house.
Those wishing to take a trip to the Middle East to experience the tournament live will need to have the Covid-19 tracker ‘Ehteraz’ installed on their smartphone, along with the Hayya app, a mandatory ticket and transportation app.
How do the applications work?
Vasaasen claimed that Ehteraz claims access to “many rights on your mobile phone, such as access to read, delete or change all content on the phone, access to WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, bypass other applications, and prevent the phone from shutting down to sleep” .
Naomi Lintvedt, a research fellow at the University of Oslo Law School, said that if she was an employer, she would not allow employees to work from their phones in Qatar.
In addition, the French data protection authority CNIL at Politico suggested “traveling with an empty smartphone … or an old phone that has been reset” and that “particular care should be taken with photos, videos or digital works that may put you in difficulty while respecting Legislation of the visited country.
UK regulators are also aware of the issue. A spokesperson for the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said: record As they are “aware of media reports about this and will consider the potential impact on the privacy rights of UK citizens”, we recommend football fans to check the agency’s news. data rights page (Opens in a new tab).
The ICO has not given any opinion on whether or not it is a good idea to bring a secondary “burner phone” for protection.
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