Inquiry into claims Qatar spied on fans via mobile phone apps

TWO official World Cup apps are being assessed by the UK data watchdog over concerns that Qatari authorities may have been spying on England fans.

The Information Commissioner’s Office is examining the “potential impact on the privacy rights of UK citizens” from two apps released by the Qatari government and World Cup committee. England supporters travelling to Qatar have been told to download the ‘Ehteraz’ and ‘Hayya’ apps to allow entry to the stadia and for Covid contact-tracing.

But security experts have suggested that the apps may secretly allow Qatari authorities to collect sensitive information, monitor pictures and videos, and track phone calls.

A spokesman for the ICO said it was “aware” of concerns around the app and would “consider the potential impact on the privacy rights of UK citizens”. The spokesman added: “If anyone is concerned, they can make a complaint to the ICO.”

European data regulators have made multiple complaints about both apps amid claims they may be collecting private information. In Norway and France, fans have been advised to download the apps on a separate blank phone rather than on personal devices.

A spokesman for France’s data watchdog, CNIL, said fans should “travel with a blank smartphone… or an old phone that has been reset.”

“Special care should be taken with photos, videos, or digital works that could place you in difficulty with respect to the legislation of the country visited,” the spokesman added.

In Germany, the BfDI watchdog said the processing of both apps “probably goes much further” than advertised by Qatari authorities, with harvested data transferred to a “central server. Among other things, one of the apps collects data on whether and with which number a telephone call is made. The other app actively prevents the device on which it is installed from going into sleep mode. It is also obvious that the data used by the apps are transmitted to a central server.”

German fans have been warned against keeping personal data alongside the apps on the same phone.

Datatilsynet, Norway’s data protection authority, said it was “alarmed” by the information gathered by the apps.

“There is a real possibility that visitors to Qatar will be monitored by the Qatari authorities,” a spokesman said.

Earlier this year the FBI warned that the official app for the Beijing WInter Olympics could pose a potential security risk, and could be used to “steal personal information or install tracking tools, malicious code, or malware”.