World Cup in Qatar: the CNIL recommends that supporters use blank phones

Less than a week before the start of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the controversies and questions surrounding the course of the competition continue to grow. The National Commission for Computing and Liberties (the Cnil) in turn calls for caution, this time about the use of mobile phones for supporters present in the country.

A spokesperson for the French institution told our Politico media colleagues that football fans should protect themselves from spying on World Cup applications. “Ideally, travel with a blank smartphone… or an old phone that has been reset,” the spokesperson explains.

Indeed, the arrival in the country of a foreigner to attend the competition forces him to install two applications: the official application of the World Cup “Hayya”, and “Ehteraz”, used to track down cases of Covid. It is through these applications that the authorities could have access to personal information.

The Cnil representative adds that “particular attention must be paid to photos, videos or digital works which could put [un supporter] vis-à-vis the legislation of the country visited.

The Cnil advises, for those who could not acquire a new phone for the occasion, to keep the application only for the days of presence in Qatar. Once back in France, it is better to delete it. Having a strong and complex password and “limiting online connection to services requiring authentication to the strict minimum” is also recommended. The France team will make their debut in the competition on November 22 against Australia.