Brownback: China preparing Olympic spy attack

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) on Tuesday alleged that China is preparing a spy attack on visitors of the Olympic Games, which will begin in less than two weeks.

Brownback told reporters that China has “carefully plotted to take advantage of the situation of having thousands of foreign visitors on its soil” and “set up a system to be able to spy and gather information about each and every guest at hotels where Olympic visitors are located.”

{mosads}The senator, who ran for the GOP presidential nomination this year, said those spied on include “journalists, athletes’ families, human rights advocates and other visitors.”

Brownback stated that his office had been contacted by lawyers for international hotel chains who informed him that the Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) ordered foreign-owned hotels to install Internet monitoring equipment. Brownback provided documents showing that hotels were asked to cooperate with the Chinese government.

“The Chinese government has demanded that these hotels allow the PSB to install software programs and hardware devices on the hotel networks,” Brownback said. “These measures are designed to assist the PSB to spy on the Internet activities of guests and record websites visited, searches entered and even keystrokes. The text alludes to harsh punishment for failure to comply with the order, including loss of license to operate a hotel in China.”

The senator also provided a document that shows one hotel warning its guests that his Internet activity could be monitored. Brownback did not identify the hotel chains, citing concerns that they could be punished.