U.S. State Department boosts travel advisory for China to Level 2
Prompted by growing tensions between the U.S. and China, the U.S. State Department recently raised its advice for travel to China to a Level 2. Specifically, the State Department is advising Americans too “exercise increased caution in China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals.” According to reports, “The Chinese government is using ‘exit bans’ on some U.S Citizens, barring them from leaving the country, sometimes for years, in order to compel U.S. citizens to participate in Chinese government investigations, to lure individuals back to China from abroad, and to aid Chinese authorities in resolving civil disputes in favor of Chinese parties.” More information on this travel advisory can be found at:
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/china-travel-advisory.html

Marriott updates information on recent data breach
Officials at Marriott International said that the number of guests impacted by the massive data breach at Starwood brand hotels is less than what was first reported back in November. However, Marriott officials also conceded that passport numbers of over five million people were not encrypted. The hotel company said it will establish a system that will allow customers to look up their passport number to see if it was included in the set of unencrypted passport numbers that are compromised. Marriott will update its website as soon as this capability is available. More information can be found by accessing the special link on the top of Marriott’s homepage.