- The European Commission is giving its staffers in the United States burner phones and laptops. They are worried about spying and the U.S. getting into commission systems.
- According to a report in the Financial Times, staffers coming to the U.S. for the World Bank and IMF spring meetings were given the guidance.
- The U.S. has been accused of spying on allies in the past, most notably after the Edward Snowden NSA leak.
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It’s a practice normally reserved for diplomats in Russia and China. The European Commission is giving burner phones and laptops to its staff members coming to the United States.
According to a report in the Financial Times (FT), commissioners and senior officials visiting Washington in the week of April 20 for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings were given the new guidance out of concern that their standard IT kit could be susceptible to surveillance.
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“They are worried about the U.S. getting into the commission systems,” One EU official told the FT.
In addition to the burner devices, they’re being told to turn off their personal devices while in the country and to place them in a special sleeve that prevents spying when left unattended.
In a statement, the Commission confirmed to FT that it had updated its security advice for the United States but no specific instructions regarding burner devices were put in writing.
What do US-EU relations look like?
The U.S. and EU are trying to come to an agreement on tariffs before they both impose retaliatory measures. President Donald Trump placed a 20% reciprocal tariff on the EU, but lowered it to 10% for 90 days so they could try to reach a deal. The EU did the same, suspending its 25% tariff on $21 billion worth of U.S. exports until mid-July.
Top EU commissioners have been meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in an attempt to make an agreement. It’s unclear how much progress they have made.
Has the US spied on allies before?
This isn’t the first time the U.S. has been accused of this type of espionage. In 2013, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called out President Obama after she discovered the United States may have spied on her mobile phone. The allegations were made after contractor Edward Snowden leaked information to the public regarding spying operations at the National Security Agency.
Eventually, President Obama publicly apologized and said he would work to restore the confidence of U.S. allies who were revealed to be targeted.
