Topics: Donald Trump, China, Social Media, Technology, Phones
Donald Trump has been notably quiet on social media of late, and there's a reason why.
The POTUS is chronically online and often shares memes and political updates on Truth Social.
Trump frequently lands himself in hot water for the memes he posts on social media – a particularly controversial one being a video of the Obamas depicted as apes.
Another post that caused controversy (even with Republicans) was an AI image Trump shared of him appearing as Jesus. Many branded the picture as 'blasphemy'.
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The president later addressed the backlash he'd faced for sharing the image and denied that he was pretending to be Jesus. He was allegedly under the impression that it was him 'as a doctor'.
But Trump hasn't been posting online in recent days while in China as, reportedly, he hasn't had access to his beloved cellphone.
His team, including security personnel, also had to leave their devices in what's been dubbed as a 'digital lockdown'.
According to Fox News, Trump's team were given 'clean' devices to travel to China with, consisting of temporary laptops and tightly controlled communications systems.
This comes down to security concerns; the State Department warns Americans traveling in China, 'there is no expectation of privacy on mobile or other networks in China', per New York Post.
The 'clean' devices minimize the risk of surveillance, hacking, or data collection.
Discussing the risks that come with taking tech into China, Bill Gage, a former Secret Service special agent and now director of executive protection for Safehaven Security Group, said: "China is a mass surveillance state.
"Briefings for US officials begin well before the president arrives, and they make clear that everything is monitored."
Theresa Payton, former White House chief information officer and CEO of cybersecurity firm Fortalice Solutions, added (per Fox News): "We always tell people to assume everything you say and do — both in person and digitally — could be monitored and to conduct themselves accordingly."
American devices that were left on Air Force One during Trump's China trip are said to have been stored in Faraday bags, which block all signals, including GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and RFID.
These bags work by blocking signals 'with a layer of conductive material, using metal mesh, that blocks electromagnetic signals', CarWow explains. It's not uncommon for people to store their keyless car fobs in them to prevent the risk of vehicle theft.
