COP27 app gives Egypt’s Sisi access to every move attendees make

The Egyptian COP27 application requires extensive access to smartphone content, which is sensitive since world leaders are among the participants at the summit. © Stefan Rousseau, AP

Egyptian authorities have unveiled a COP27 application to "help" participants at the climate change summit in Sharm El Skeikh, which ends on November 18. But NGOs and cybersecurity experts warn that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime can very easily and effectively use the app to surveil attendees, including top diplomats and Egyptian activists.

The 2022 UN Climate Change Conference, which began on Sunday, November 6 in the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El Sheikh, is a summit under tight surveillance. Human rights groups and cybersecurity experts believe the Egyptian application made available to COP27 participants is a weapon of massive espionage for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime.