Covid-19: Europe eyes smartphone location data to stem virus spread


A pedestrian using a smartphone while wearing a protective face mask outside a luxury goods store in Place Vendome, in Paris, France. Contact-tracing apps being considered by European governments would, like Israel’s effort, go well beyond what those governments are currently getting from wireless carriers to identify ‘hot spots’ of disease and human concentration. — Bloomberg

Britain, Germany and Italy are evaluating powerful and invasive tools for what epidemiologists call contact-tracing, the mapping of personal interactions that could spread the virus. These apps would use real-time phone data to pinpoint virus carriers and people they might have infected.

That worries privacy advocates, who fear such ubiquitous surveillance could be abused without careful oversight, with potentially dire consequences for civil liberties.

Subscribe or renew your subscriptions to win prizes worth up to RM68,000!

Monthly Plan

RM13.90/month

Annual Plan

RM12.33/month

Billed as RM148.00/year

1 month

Free Trial

For new subscribers only


Cancel anytime. No ads. Auto-renewal. Unlimited access to the web and app. Personalised features. Members rewards.
Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Location data

   

Next In Tech News

Musk's Starlink ordered to cease operations in Namibia
India competition watchdog to investigate Google's gaming app policy
Analysis-After Australia legislated a teen social media ban, it has to figure out how to enforce it
Australia passes social media ban for children under 16
Sofas become points of purchase as Americans shop with their phones on Thanksgiving
EU closes investigations into Amazon, Starbucks and Fiat tax rulings
Mexican female gig workers push to fix ‘sexist’ algorithms
European police pull plug on 'largest' illegal streaming service
A very ChatGPT Christmas: Savvy Black Friday shoppers use AI to find deals
Telefonica Germany tests quantum technologies in pilot with AWS

Others Also Read