Dutch athletes are being warned not to bring their phones and laptops to China for the Beijing Winter Olympics over espionage fears.
China has one of the worst reputations in the world for surveillance and espionage, regularly monitoring its own citizens and censoring internet traffic. The country has also been behind numerous hacks and hacking groups.
It seems the Dutch Olympic Committee (NOCNSF) is taking the threat seriously, warning athletes and staff not to bring their personal electronics into the country, according to Reuters. Instead, personnel will be provided with a clean device, devoid of their personal data.
“The importance of cybersecurity of course has grown over the years”, NOCNSF spokesman Geert Slot said. “But China has completely closed off its internet, which makes it a specific case.”
