French security authorities do not know where the danger comes from.
Author: Naeem Asghari, analyst (Germany), especially for “Sangar”
Fans of the Paris Olympics will cheer for their favorite teams and rejoice at their successes under the hood of the French special services.
Today, the French capital is preparing for the largest influx of sports fans and tourists in its history. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world will come to the main celebration of big sports. According to the French special services, every visitor is a potential threat. Modern technologies will help to resist it.
Social media accounts, bank and personal data, and any other possible information about the guests of the Olympic Games are already being taken under control. No one asks for the consent of the latter, because under French law such activities of the authorities are allowed. This is legalized surveillance of unsuspecting people.
An electronic dossier is being created for everyone, and the personal live of fans and tourists is no more private. You can forget about privacy during the Olympics, and after it ends, too. No one will destroy such a valuable archive, the data bank will become the property of the special services and will be stored for decades.
The reasons for such close attention of the special services to sports fans are the terrorist threat and the interests of national security.
Special hopes are pinned on artificial intelligence, which will help systematize a database of hundreds of thousands of people. With the help of AI, it is planned to create a digital image of each fan. Digital images will help special services simulate the behavioral characteristics of groups of people from different nations.
The Olympic Games have always needed special control and increased attention from law enforcement and special services. Such work has always been considered delicate and was carried out on a point-by-point basis, with a focus on risk groups and individual personalities who do not inspire confidence.
The French special services have abandoned the traditional model of point control and are introducing methods of mass monitoring and people watching. There is only one reason for this attitude towards tourists — the French authorities do not control the situation. They don't know where to expect threats from, they don't see dangerous directions. Incompetence breeds fear of the unknown. The main motto is reinsurance in all directions, even if it is to the detriment of the personal lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
Many of the concerns have a real basis. Digital terrorism is a real threat that will not escape such a notable event as the Olympics in Paris. During the Olympic Games, the cybersecurity of tourists and the Paris digital infrastructure will be under attack by hacker groups. Where, when and how they will occur and against whom specifically they will be directed — no one knows.
France's cyber intelligence and counterintelligence cannot answer these questions. Law-abiding tourists and fans will have to answer for the incompetence of the French authorities. Their every step, every walk, acquaintance, visit to the stadium or a night at the hotel is no longer a mystery.
