The countdown of the last month of waiting for the start of the next Qatar 2022 World Cup has begun. On November 20, the world will come to a standstill to witness one of the most important sporting and cultural events in the last almost 100 years.
Since the designation of said event, controversy has been the main course, recalling its controversial vote that later led to the famous FIFAGate, an event that cost many of the high-ranking leaders of world football and others, who are currently serving sentences penitentiary Labor exploitation, censorship and limitation to gender expression are other complements for which before its beginning, many already repudiate its realization.
But now another ingredient can be added that would violate the confidentiality of his fans present at the great event. It is that it was known in the last hours that the people who attend during the month of its development, would have to install two apps in a mandatory way, since, according to the organizers, they will be essential for the coexistence of all.
Controversy
The speculation stems from two apps that would have to be used in Qatari territory and that, according to cybersecurity agents, warn that there is a great danger as it is a possible espionage measure. Information from the NRK site points out some of the inconveniences linked to the use of the tools Ehteraz Y Have nowboth of which would be required of soccer lovers who arrive in the country
Ehteraz, was developed by the Qatar Ministry of the Interior to track positive Covid-19 cases within the territory where the World Cup will take place. The second is the official application of the World Cup, Hayya, which offers information on tickets for matches and is also useful for free travel on the Qatar metro.
Possible procedure
Øyvind Vasaasen, an information security specialist quoted in the NRK report, commented: “The people who control the applications are given the ability to read and change things, and adjust them. They may also retrieve information from other applications if they have the ability to do so, and we believe they do. (…) It is like giving the authorities full access to your house.”
Other experts in the area expressed similar concerns. “It’s a mandatory app with no options to disable some permissions,” said Naomi Lintvedt of the University of Oslo.