EU tells officials: Bring burner phones to America
The European Commission is providing officials traveling to the United States with burner phones and laptops, signaling a new level of distrust between the EU and Washington. The move, first reported by the Financial Times, marks the first time the EU has extended such security measures, previously reserved for trips to countries like China or Russia — to visits to the US.
The European Commission updated its travel guidance to staff following growing fears of cyber-espionage targeting EU systems during US visits. Officials heading to Washington, D.C., for upcoming World Bank and International Monetary Fund spring meetings have reportedly been instructed to use clean, locked-down devices.
“They are worried about the US getting into the commission systems,” one source told the Financial Times, highlighting the extent of concern within EU leadership over digital surveillance by American authorities.
Relations between Europe and the US have become increasingly strained in recent months under the Trump administration. Controversial moves from tariff increases on European goods to politically charged incidents like threatening to invade Greenland and backing provocative figures have chilled diplomatic ties.
Germany, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Ireland have all updated their travel advisories for citizens visiting the US, urging compliance with all entry rules or reconsideration of travel plans altogether. Certain groups, including transgender travelers, have been warned of possible entry restrictions.
While spying among allies is a known reality, former German chancellor Angela Merkel famously criticized the US for monitoring her phone, the European Commission’s decision to recommend burner devices for US visits marks a notable escalation in protective measures.
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Luuk van Middelaar, director of the Brussels Institute for Geopolitics, told the Financial Times: “Washington is not Beijing or Moscow, but it is an adversary that is prone to use extra-legal methods to further its interests and power. Democrat administrations use the same tactics. It is an acceptance of reality by the Commission.”
While a European Commission spokesperson stopped short of confirming a blanket directive for burner devices, they admitted recent updates to travel recommendations for various countries, including the US, in response to heightened cybersecurity threats globally.
“We have recently updated several country specific traveling recommendation factsheets for officials. They reflect the latest changes in the way the commission communicates and the general increase of threats globally regarding cybersecurity,” the spokesperson told The Register.
The EU also now recommends linking e-visas to EU-issued laissez-passer documents for senior officials to underline the official nature of visits and streamline visa processes.