OPINION:
Athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics are competing in a new sport: how to avoid being spied on. Like it or not, it’s a game all Americans are already playing with China — and unfortunately losing.
The Chinese government is requiring all Olympic athletes to download an app called “My2022” during the games. But while the communists claim the app is intended to help limit the spread of the coronavirus, a more menacing plan has been hatched. The app can secretly record whatever you communicate.
Johnathan Scott, a cybersecurity expert, posted portions of the app’s code to Twitter with a chilling warning: “I can definitively say all Olympian audio is being collected, analyzed and saved on Chinese servers.” The app reportedly uses technology from the Chinese company iFLYTEK, which has been blacklisted by the U.S. government. Even so, the company spent nearly $3 million between 2019 and 2021 lobbying the D.C. swamp.
The threat of surveillance is so alarming that the FBI is suggesting athletes leave their personal phones at home and use burner devices.
The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee cautioned, “It should be assumed that every text, email, online visit, and application access can be monitored or compromised.”
The high level of concern for athletes, coaches and support staff traveling abroad is warranted. But the vigilance should also extend to China’s clandestine activities right here at home.
TikTok, owned by a Chinese company, was targeted by the Trump administration as a potential data security threat. Apps like TikTok could record biometric data including your face and voice from your own living room. That information could be used to create “deep fakes” — or manipulated videos typically used with malicious intent — targeting individuals. Do you feel confident with your — or your kids’ — data in TikTok’s control?
It gets deeper. The director of National Intelligence warned that China is seeking your DNA. Late last year, the FBI flagged a California company that may provide Americans’ health data to China.
China could be collecting data that will give it an advantage over other countries in developing gene-tailored medicine. Cambridge University researchers warned in 2019 about the possibility of developing an ethnic bioweapon. Imagine a new strain of COVID-19 that affects everyone but ethnic Chinese.
Critically, the DNI notes China has also gained access to sensitive information in health care through legal means. “Over the years, Chinese companies have taken advantage of this environment by investing in U.S. firms that handle sensitive healthcare and other types of personal data.”
In fact, China has made investments in or purchased 2,000 American companies, in fields ranging from health care to the automotive industry to media. China also holds the U.S. hostage by controlling critical supply chains — including a huge part of our supply of medical supplies, antibiotics and rare earth metals needed for modern technology.
What happens if China decides to turn the export spigot off? Pieces of legislation moving through Congress could help reverse some of our China problems. Passed by the House last week, the America Competes Act will help shore-up supply chains and domestic manufacturing. Similar legislation passed last year in the Senate aims to do the same. But significant daylight between the bills threaten to blow up negotiations.
Of the two, the Senate version focuses more on the threat specifically posed by China and attracts bipartisan support. It should act as the blueprint for drafting common ground legislation that has the highest probability of being greenlit.
The Olympic Games app being forced onto athlete phones is only the latest puzzle piece in China’s plan of world dominance and the U.S. remains behind the ball. If America is being scored on its actions to counter China to date, the judges might give us a 2 out of 10 — if they’re feeling charitable.
• Richard Berman is president of Berman and Co. in Washington.
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