Avoiding Sochi Snoopers: Using Tor, Common Sense and Nail Polish to Prevent Russian Authorities Spying on Journalists

from ibtimes.co.uk: The Russian authorities are planning to monitor the online activity of every athlete, organiser and journalist during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, which begin later this week.

Last year Russian prime minister Dimitry Medvedev signed into law a decree which, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, authorises the government to “collect telephone and internet data of the Games’ organisers, athletes, and others, with particular emphasis on journalists. The latter are mentioned twice in the decree.

With revelations about about widespread US and UK governmental spying dominating the headlines for the last six months, it should come as no surprise that the Russian government is looking to do something similar.

With many journalists travelling to Russia in order to cover storied away from the spectacle of sports – such as alleged corruption and the country’s anti-gay stance – there will be a lot of journalists looking to avoid the glare of the Federal Security Bureau (FSB).

Therefore the European Federation of Journalists asked security expert and journalist Alan Pearce to come up with a guide to help journalists keep their work secret in Russia.

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