EU issues US-bound staff with burner phones over spying fears

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The European Commission is issuing burner phones and basic laptops to some workers in the United States to avoid the risk of espionage, which is a measure of the tradition preserved for travel to China.

According to four people known about the situation, the IMF and the World Bank’s spring meeting next week gave new guidance to the traveling commissioners and senior officials.

They said that these measures make people used to travel to Ukraine and China, where the standard IT kit cannot be brought to countries for fear of Russian or Chinese surveillance.

“They are concerned about entering the US Commission system,” an official said.

Treatment Ours Donald Trump’s return to the US President in January as a possible security risk to highlight how the relationship has worsened.

Trump has accused the EU be “screw in the United States” to set up and declared 20 percent so -called mutual tariffs on the block export, which he later made half for 90 days period.

At the same time, he overthrew Russia, forced Ukraine to temporarily postpone military assistance and pressured control over its assets and threatened to withdraw the security guarantee from Europe, encouraging an continental effort to rebuild.

A fifth EU official said, “The Translatantic Alliance is over.

The White House and the US National Security Council did not immediately respond to the request for comments.

Brussels and Washington are locked in several case -sensitive discussions where it is suitable for both sides to collect information about others.

EU Trade Commissioner Maro šfčovič is discussing a growing trade war with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik in Washington on Monday.

It has delayed its retaliatory actions against $ 21 billion of US exports due to EU steel and aluminum US tariffs.

The United States has also attacked the EU control of its technology agencies and claimed that Brussels was dismissing free speech and rigging elections, such as controversial exclusion to a candidate to become president in Romania to benefit from the support of ticket accounts.

Three commissioners are traveling to Washington for the IMF and World Bank meetings from April 25-26: Valdis Domboveskis, Economy Commissioner; Maria Luis Albooker, Financial Service Head; And Joseph Sakela, who manages development assistance.

The Commission Confirm that the security advice was recently updated, but refused to comment on specific issues. It says that the diplomatic service of the block was involved because it is regularly on this national security update.

Officials said that guidance was included in the guidance for all employees traveled in the United States that their phones should be closed on the border and they should be kept in a special hand to protect them from spying.

There is an additional risk in the United States, where border workers have the right to seize the phone and computer and examine their content.

Tourists from Europe and educators from Europe have been banned from entering the country after social media comments or documents have been banned after criticizing the Trump administration policy on their phones or laptops.

In March, the French government said that a French researcher was denied entry and was sent back to France because he expressed a “personal opinion” about the US research policy.

Commission officials have been asked to ensure that their visas are in their diplomatic “Loisage-Passer” document instead of their national passport.

Additional Report of Stef Shavez in Washington