SPY ON GUESTS‏

(WASHINGTON) - A top Republican US senator on Tuesday said China is planning
to spy on guests who stay at foreign-owned hotels during the Olympic Games,
which begin next month.


“The Chinese government has put in place a system to spy on and gather
information about every guest at hotels where Olympic visitors are staying,”
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback told reporters.


“This means journalists, athletes’ families, human rights advocates and
other visitors will be subjected to invasive intelligence gathering by the
Chinese Public Security Bureau.”


The State Department issued a warning in March that Americans traveling to
China for the Olympic Games could expect their hotel rooms there to be
monitored.


China responded at the time that security arrangements were in accordance
with international standards.


Brownback said he was first notified months ago by human rights advocates of
Beijing’s plan to monitor Internet use at foreign-owned hotels, and that
“several international hotel chains” have confirmed receiving orders to
install software and hardware to monitor Internet activity.


He declined to reveal the names of the hotels, saying they feared losing
their licenses to operate in China and faced large fines if they did not
comply with the Chinese order.


“They don’t want to do this. They are being forced to do this,” Brownback
said. “If they are specifically identified, they could face retaliation by
the Communist government.”


The senator’s staff handed out English language translations of two separate
documents he said were received by hotels, outlining the government’s
instructions on how to implement Internet spying software and hardware by
the end of July.


“It is required that your company install and run the Security Management
System for Internet Access from Public Places in addition to provide network
interfaces consistent with the industrial technical standards on public
security,” said one of the……


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