EU confirms issuing ‘burner phones’ to top officials but denies practice caused by Trump

A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed on Tuesday that it does provide “burner phones” to top officials, but denied a report that the practice was new and connected to a recent security appraisal of the risks when visiting the United States.

It follows the Financial Times reporting that the European Union’s executive had issued new guidance stressing increased risks of surveillance when traveling to the United States, amid several scandals regarding U.S. treatment of individuals transiting its borders.

Burner phones — disposable devices often used in increased threat environments to reduce the risks to the user if the device is seized and compromised — are typically advised for individuals travelling to countries such as China. 

The suggestion that the United States under the Trump administration is being seen as a similarly risky environment prompted concern from onlookers who noted apparently deteriorating transatlantic relations as well as ongoing court cases related to U.S. border enforcement.

As the FT reported, senior EU officials have been advised to turn off their mobile phones when crossing the border and to use protective sleeves, presumably Faraday pouches, to guard their devices from interference.

The European Commission was reported to be especially concerned about its officials being targeted when visiting the United States next week for meetings related to the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund.

A spokesperson for the commission told Recorded Future News: “We deny having given guidance to our staff recommending the use of burner phones while on official missions in the US. This is not mentioned in the traveling recommendation factsheets nor in any other document.”

They acknowledged “several country specific travelling recommendation factsheets for officials” had recently been updated, but said the changes “reflect the latest changes in the way the Commission communicates and the general increase of threats globally regarding cybersecurity.”

These updated recommendations “were included in many other country factsheets to the attention of traveling senior officials,” added the spokesperson.

When pressed that this was not a denial that staff had actually been issued burner phones, the spokesperson said: “We have a long-standing general practice of occasionally giving burner equipment to top officials in relation to the confidentiality of the information treated, anywhere in the world.

“And this has nothing to do with the US specifically. There is absolutely no general practice to give burner equipment to officials traveling to the US specifically,” they added. The spokesperson did not respond to further questions about whether the officials named in the FT’s report had been issued such devices.