Germany says nein to Qatari World Cup spyware, err, apps World Cup apps from the Qatari government collect more personal information than they need to, according to Germany's data protection agency, which this week warned football fans to only install the two apps "if it is absolutely necessary." Also: consider using a burner phone. The two apps are Ehteraz, a Covid-19 tracker from …
... with a removable battery.
With a nice, fresh address book, populated from sources such as Qatar State Security and Ministry of Interior, FIFA etc etc. Of course, some "honest guv!" photos featuring various Qatari football players in "niche" situations... A history of spoofed messages from Qatari footballers' unhappy wives... Well, you get it!
Maybe some compromised apps that will get those in Qatar (and ?FIFA) chatting with some lovely, like-minded offal in, ooh, say China or Russia!
Of course, the stuff that'd get one arrested/dead wouldn't be imported until juuuust before ditching the phone in the departure lounge, battery in and on-charge!
Considering the local security/Police just almost arrested a Danish journalist live on air, I'd think it best not to do *anything* that might attract attention.
You'd think they'd have ALL got the memo about being on the world stage and being nice to everyone and not Business As Usual. I suspect we will be seeing multiple "mistakes" by the Qatari security and Police folks over the course of this event.
Even Blatter is saying giving this to Qatar was a mistake now. I wonder if there were any brown envelopes or nondescript suitcases involved in the decision process?
You wonder, really?
The German press talked extensively about the gifts that the various German soccer executives tried to smuggle back home from Katar. E.g., luxury watches in the case of former German Soccer Association president Theo Zwanziger or European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. The smarter members of the German delegation were not caught with $100'000 luxury watches, interpret that as you want. I'd expect that less flashy gifts have been transferred more discretely.
Imagine how blatant it must have been if even the Germans were caught with their bribes.
Okay, notwithstanding the obvious wilful ignorance by FIFA of Qatar's human rights record/reports, I was wondering about FIFA's take on this blatant affront to football fans (its domestic customers/devotees). Then (thanks Jessica!):
According to FIFA, Hayya is mandatory. "The Hayaa card is essentially a visa and is required to enter the country," a spokesperson told The Register ®.
So, FIFA is a stakeholder in Hayya? (<-- Question mark, coz I didn't state it!) Or merely a beneficiary?
<rant>
Obviously, FIFA wouldn't protect travelling fans as they don't give a fuck about the welfare of (eg) construction workers' rights building stadiums for their event. And the fan's already paid!
And the travelling fans? Well, they don't give a fuck for the same reasons that they don't care about said construction workers, or their rights having been dissolved in their home nation (observing our UK). Already beaten into submission, unaware, wilfully ignorant or on-board with state surveillance.
</rant>
So, should my burgeoning dream that FIFA will step in, under pressure from those travelling to Qatar, end with my recurring, hopeful naivety?
Ah-hahahaaa!
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> this is the same Qatar that
Err… no. Actually this is the Qatar that hosts and funds Al Jazeera, a 24 hour news station known for exposing US (and others) war crimes and whose offices and reporters have a habit of getting accidentally targeted.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/11/the-12-al-jazeera-journalists-killed-on-the-front-lines
While the CNIL is absolutely correct in pointing out the different privacy framework and practices between Qatar and France and that's something that travelers should definitely be aware of, I do find the editorialising a bit hypocritical.
People had to have Ehteraz installed for a long time, during the pandemic. There was a lot of people working in Qatar to build the stadiums and everything around - many of them from Europe as well - all of them with Ehteraz on their phones if they wished to work (and many of them were sent there by the companies they work for, without many choices), and they discover it only now because of deep-pockets football fans who can stay at home and watch matches on TV if they don't like the tracking? Companies making money was fine, now that some politician and journalist wish to watch a ball kicked themselves, and boast about it on social media, it becomes an important issue?
Which is incredibly infuriating. When governments were trying to respond to a genuine emergency and get Covid apps out the door quickly we had Google and Apple grandstanding about what great defenders of privacy they were, and refusing to allow those apps. So we had to wait many moons for everyone to get together and get something designed.
As if Google gave a fuck about privacy...
But apparently they're happy to let Qatar bung its dodgy shit into their app stores for... Reasons. Possibly large numbers of foldable ones kept in brown envelopes...
Lets see if James Cleverly the UK Foreign Secretary's phone gets isn't already hacked
Hello Cheltenham et al!
one presumes that he will use a burner phone for the duration of his visit to the World Cup
Only if someone explains it to him really simply. (+1 Cynical!) I can hear it now: Sunak: Don't forget your stick Lieutenant!
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