Digital Surveillance Can Help Bring the Coronavirus Pandemic Under Control – But Also Threatens Privacy
Israel’s top spy agency has been using secretly collected cellphone data to retrace the movements of those who tested positive for the coronavirus. The Polish government launched the “Home Quarantine” app so that people in quarantine can upload geo-located photos proving they’re at home. The South Korean government is using a combination of mobile phone data, credit card information and facial recognition software to track the movements of people who test positive for COVID-19. The government posts the details publicly to alert people who might have come in contact with the infected person. Public health benefits? Certainly. Privacy risks? Certainly as well.
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