Russia to monitor Olympic athletes’ online activities

Russian Prime Minister Dimitri Medvedev issued a decree allowing the Russian authorities to monitor and store communication data of foreign athletes, journalists and official delegations during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to De Correspondent website.

The communication data – internet and telephone – will be stored for three years and will be accessible 24-hour to the Russian intelligence and other investigative services. The decree also implies to the communication data of dignitaries, including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, King Willem-Alexander and sports minister Edith Schippers. Their communication data could be stored for up to three years. The games will take place from February 7 through February 23 in Sochi. The medium-sized Russian city has been transformed into a heavily guarded fortress. There will be hundreds spy drones and thousands of guards and an advanced video system to ensure the safety of visitors. Russian secret service FSB has given the responsibility for the security of the city. FSB is the successor to the KGB. The Russian authorities are doing everything possible to ensure the safety of participants and visitors to the Olympic. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Russian law allows monitoring, storing and analyzing of all traffic (telephone, e-mail, Internet, etc.) communicated over the Russian network. The ministry asked visitors to follow safety procedures as well as the instructions of the Russian authorities.