If you want to watch the soccer World Cup games in Qatar, you have to install two apps on your smartphone: Ehteraz and Hayya. While the first is intended to track corona infections, Hayya is the official World Cup app, which is mandatory for entry and stadium visits. As the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK found out, both apps are very questionable in terms of security.
The Hayya app is used to manage the Hayya card. This is used to manage entry into Qatar and visit the stadiums. The app is also used for free use of local public transport in Qatar. Experts are critical of the fact that they can read out the location, prevent the smartphone from falling asleep and monitor network connections. She is also able to pass on personal information “almost without restrictions”.
Ehteraz can access all smartphone data, read the precise location and monitor the WiFi and Bluetooth connections. All collected data is stored centrally.